Customer Reviews

18

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(64)
3 star:		(31)
2 star:		(31)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

Another 18 tracks -thus the name of the album- put together by pop-superstar Moby in this, his newest production, give the listener plenty of material to choose from. It might be questioned how original he has been this time around, when the norm of his previous works has almost always been innovation: at least I confess I had a hard time getting over my initial impression of "Oh, my God! This totally sounds like 'Play'." But after a few listens, it starts to pick up speed and take on a totally different meaning inside of you.

With '18' Moby has taken a two-fold approach: a good half of the album picks up where 'Play' and its B-Sides left and the other half brings a handful of new elements. Lots of gospel vocals and spiritual lyrics can be found in songs such as "In This World," "In My Heart" and "One Of These Mornings," all of which could easily have been produced back in 1999. "Another Woman," though not as gospel in tone, does have that R&B flavor to it, and "I'm Not Worried At All" reminds a lot of "Natural Blues" both due to the lead vocals and to the overall spirit of the song and the lyrics. The New Wave-y opening track, "We Are All Made of Stars" and "Extreme Ways" both have that super-hit flavor for '18' that "Porcelain" and "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad" brought to 'Play' but it mixes some elements which are somewhat alien to Moby's music (except for the "element" of eclecticism). On the other hand, "Great Escape," "Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)" (consider his b-day is 9/11) and "Harbour" all have one thing in common: beautiful female vocals (surprise tip: "Harbour" has Sinead O'Connor on vocals).

Finally, tracks such as "Signs of Love," "Fireworks," "18," "Sleep Alone" and "Look Back" bring into the mix that exquisite ambient sound that tunes such as "Down Slow," "Everloving" and "The Sky Is Broken" were so special for. The tracks I could easily live without: "Jam For The Ladies," "At Least We Tried," "The Rafters," so, as far as I'm concerned, the album could be called '15.' Overall, obviously the album doesn't break much new ground, as 'Play' did, but it stands out as a very good work by NY's finest DJ.

After the dynamite Play, Moby continues the sound of Play in some areas except that this follow-up is a bit lighter and has more Gospel samples giving the album somewhat a bit of a 60s or 70s feel to it. Play was great, 18 is just as great.

1)We're All Made Of Stars_Excellent lead off single. Very similar to South Side. Excellent nighttime travel music.
2) In This World- This song is a mix of jazz/pop with ol school hip hop beats and a Gospel vocal in the background. Kind of a bit 60s sounding.
3)In My Heart- Anyone remember Rushing off Play? This song has a similar piano crescendo loop only this song is not quite as eerie and more upbeat.
4)Great Escape- A very simple song with a cello and a female vocal. Not too bad but not that memorable
5)Signs Of Love- A very beautiful song. Reminiscent of Porcelain.
6)One OF These Mornings- This song also uses a Gospel sample voice. A very nice song.
7)Another Woman- One of my favorites. AW has a kind of an early 90s old school R&B sound and a strange organ playing. Sort of like linking the sounds on 1990 and 2002 together.
8)Fireworks- Music with atmosphere. This song is captivatingly beautiful. Makes me think of standing out on a field on a cloudy afternoon.
9)Extreme Ways-An upbeat R&Bish song with a weird orchestra sound in the background. Kind of 70s sounding.
10)Jam For The Ladies-Moby dives into the old school hip-hop realm. This song is absolutely great. Satisfies my desire for hip-hop is fun.
11)Sunday- Another atmospheric track with a wierd vocal sample.
12)18- An ambient slow track with echoing pianos. This song can be kind of depressing sometimes.
13)Sleep Alone- One of the highlight songs on 18. It starts off as a mellow jazzy song and then builds up into an ambient almost New Agey song.
14)At Least We Tried- A dreamy track that samples a drum loop from Marvin Gayes 1982 hit Sexual Healing. While nowhere near as great this song is kind of like a slowed down version but much simpler.

15)Harbour-WOW! Most of the other songs are enjoyable but Harbour beats the rest of 18 and is one of the best songs I,ve ever heard from Moby. It's a mellow, dreamy song with a guest vocal appearance from Sinead O'Connor.
16)Look Back In-This song has a weird echoing beat to it. While this song isn't bad it doesnt strike achord with me.
17)Rafters- Well I'll be damned. I kind of feel like being taken back to the 70s. The vocals alone give this song a 70s feel. Definately one of the oddest tracks on this CD.
18)I,m Not Worried At All-A nice closer to this CD. This song has a darker more atmospheric sound like the sun setting for the day.

On an overall scale I would say 18 is an excellent CD for the music lover. While not as groundbreaking as Play 18 is a worthy album of checking out.

Definately one of the best CDs of 2002!

With the exception of the uplifting 9/11 inspired opening We Are All Made of Stars and the bouncy Jam for the Ladies tossed into the middle this has to be one of the saddest albums ever made.From Track 2 In this World(Lordy don't you leave me all by myself)to One of These Mornings(One of these mornings won't be very long I'll be gone)to At Least We Tried this cd is filled with anguish and loneliness.Having said that nobody handles melancholy material better than Moby.Using different vocalists from Jennifer Price to Sinead O'Connor and beautiful atmospheric music to back the songs 18 has plenty of variety and breaks your heart more than once along the way.Moby took a big chance and probably lost some fans he gained with the more upbeat Play.Fortunately though his gamble pays off with some of the bleakest but most gorgously haunting music you'll ever hear.

I was a convert of Moby's music after the ubiquitous "Play".
A stunner whose purity and true emotion complexities touched me so that buying "Play"'s followup,"18",wasn't even a question for me.

Fortunately,"18"-while not as stunning as "Play"-is a very impressive album.Like "Play","18" is very emotional and pure sounding.Like "Play",it also features emotive vocals-from Angie Stone to Sylvia Robinson to Sinead O'Connor-over contemporary
beats.Yet it works.

Among the standouts is the first single "We Are All Made of Stars",a smart New Wave-influenced track which is greatly arrangened,"In This World" which features a hauntingly beautiful
vocal from Jennifer Page,"One Of These Mornings",which like "World" features a hauntingly beautiful soulful Gospel-esque vocal(this time courtsey of Dianne McCaulley) over a convincing beat equipped with a moving sythnizied string setting.

"Sunday(A Day Before My Birthday)"-a symbolic nod to September
11th(Moby's birthday is September 11th)-and "At Least We Tried"
(featuring a beautiful vocal from Freedom Bremner) will get the tear ducts open."Harbour" featuring Sinead O'Connor is yet another moving passage.

But I can't speak of standouts without mentioning "Jam For The Ladies".A superb cut featuring the smooth,silky vocals of
Angie Stone and a infectious rap from the now legendary MC Lyte
(I haven't heard from her in so long,it's geat to hear from her!) with a old-school hip hop beat and funky slap beat.
This is easily the most likeable track on "18".This has a slightly similiar vibe to Moby's hit "Bodyrock".I predict that this'll be a big hit for Moby if released as a single.

"18" does have a couple setbacks though(just a couple).
It's kind of redundant after a while and instrumental tracks
like "Fireworks" and the title track don't work as well.Also,"18" is very melancholy and it might drop your mood a bit.But the pensive vibe makes the music even more beautiful and moving.

Moby does it again.Another top-knotch release.Even though it doesn't surpass "Play" this is a very above-average album.
Some may not understand it but nevertheless,"18" proves that Moby makes emotive music with purpose.

The follow-up CD to the 1999 smash-hit Play well lived up to its expectations. While not quite as good as its predecessor, I don't think anybody will be disappointed.

Moby continues to re-define techo in this new album, reminding us all of how far he's come since his raw, electronic beat days. Like Play before it, 18 is full of spiritual, emotional songs--although often he uses this emotional power to create somewhat depressing (but still very beautiful) music, as can be seen is such tracks as "Sleep Alone", "18" and "At Least We Tried".

In contrast to Play, there are more slow and melodic songs and less hip-hip and R&B songs. Strangely, although I ordinarily don't care for hip-hop or R&B, I was sad to see both go.

Overall, though, this album is a must-buy, and I stand fully behind my 5-star rating. As with Play, all of the songs are unique and special on their own, but come together to create a spiritual journey into a wide spectrum of emotions when the album is played in its entirety.

Simply brilliant. Play was a great album, 18 is a brilliant one. 18 is more subtle and introspective than Play. It has few club mega hits as Play had such as Body Rock or obvious hits such as South Side or Natural Blues. Don't get me wrong, there are radio hit friendly tunes here, We Are All Made of Stars is the most compelling. Also, Jam For The Ladies could be one of those club hits that bring the house down given the right remix. What 18 does have in abundance are haunting songs that stick to your bones after a couple of plays. The two songs that Sinead O'Connor contributes vocal chops are simply unforgettable, especially on Harbour, she is at the top of her vocal style. Moby himself contributes his voice to several tunes, giving an admirable vocal performance for someone with limited vocal skill, note the haunting Signs of Love. Other songs of note, In This World for its incredibly moving vocal. Another Woman for its powerful voice song over a very inspired bass/rhythm/piano background with very solid production work. I'm Not Worried at all is a very spiritually influenced song that can fit at home in any church revival. The influences on this album are many that were on Play, African American church music, American soul, 80's electronic and dance music, alternative music of the non-thrash colour. With 18, Moby has delivered the second classic of his long career (anybody remember that he sang vocals briefly for the punk rock/art band Flipper?). For those wanting to see what Moby is all about, spend some money and buy both Play and 18, you will not be disappointed. If you already own Play, than 18 is a no brainer.

I like this album, however, and like it from start to finish. It's solid and entertaining, but he doesn't really have songs in the mix that shred the tranquility. Overall, it just has a sunnier disposition and doesn't really even have the occasional dark mood track. That's what hinders this album from being as sucessful from the last one. What you get is still good, but it proves that people come down on you if they buy your album thinking they'll get exactly what they expect without hearing it. It also demonstrates the influence of Eminem in his put downs of him and his style. It's all good, but more mid-tempo. His choice of samples and guest vocalists is still excellent and the best song, in my opinion, is one that he actually sings, "Signs of love." I think that's really an indication about why this album is more positive, he was in love with someone when he wrote this album.

Wow, what can't I say about this album?! Everything from the melodies, lyrics, the way you can relate to what he or guest singer is saying...it's overwhelming, really. I can play it all the way through without skipping tracks, but here's a few that stand out among the rest: "In My Heart"...the gospel/dance beat, a perfect match. "Signs of Love", "One Of These Mornings", "Extreme Ways"...the second verse, that's me! "HARBOUR"...Whooo! I don't know how they (he and Sinead) did it, but that's an awesome song! Sinead's voice is powerful, yet comes across very softly. You can tell she feels what she sings. I hope this is released as a single or a "B" Side remix to another single. "I'm Not Worried At All"...I call this one of my "theme songs". I love this one. The song has an old gospel feel from beginning to end. The Shining Light Gospel Choir takes this song and runs with it. Just as "Harbour", you feel what he sings. The choir and their ad-libs throughout the song, the strings, piano, everything...spectacular. Oh I forgot about "18"...another track, I can put on repeat and blast. If you never heard of Moby, or never bought anything he's come out with, this is the time. You won't be dissapointed with this. ($0.02, right there)

The new Moby album '18' has a pretty good chill and ambient feel. Most of the songs do have vocals though. While the early half of 'Play' had some rockin tracks, there isnt as many on '18' and when there are, they are not very noticeable. As a whole, this album does not take Moby to any new places, musically. But seems like a great extension of the feel of the songs at the end of Play and his ambient tracks. And it basically takes a few listens to it before you can really get into it.

The songs that do rock out are "Jam for the Ladies" and "Extreme Ways" which feels like (fills about the same track number) as "Machete" from 'Play". Not to forget to mention the single "We are all Made of Stars", while its very catchy musically, I tire of its vocals, but that could be because its on the radio a lot.

My two favorite tracks after the first few listens are "Signs of Love" and "Harbour" which Sinead O'Connor lends vocals on. After a few more listens, "The Rafters" shines through in its excellence because of its power. It sounds like it could really blow the roof off.

The song called "Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)" is interesting because the song uses some of the same
chords that were used in "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad" off 'Play'.

"Sleep Alone" and "At Least We Tried" are lightly songs that are weepy with their minimal melodies and soft vocals. "In this World" has a part where it sounds like Moby just banged on the piano keys, and almost randomly, thats hard to hear on the first time.

While my review was completely out of order and didnt touch on all the tracks, bottom line: Buy '18' if you like Moby, it'll grow on you. If you havnt heard Moby, start with 'Play' because it has a variety of styles and once you get into that, this album will follow along. Get this if you're someone looking for some chill songs with a great groove. Moby's music has always been very relaxing.

Even though I don't think this album will enjoy the runaway sales of Play, I'm not sure that too many artists could ever count on that kind of success and in any case, Moby isn't trying to break Michael Jackson sales records. What he does try to do is make music that connects with some basic human emotions that a lot of us are feeling. I've listened to it all the way through about 5 times now, and I'll say that it took me two complete listens to decide that this is definitely a gem, though not a five star because I don't think it "changes" anything, certainly not in the way that Play did when I and many of us first heard it. Play has more songs that "hit hard" if that makes sense, like the first 8 cuts ("Honey" through "Natural Blues") and "Run On." 18 only has a few that jump out at you like those earlier songs, like the current single "We Are All Made of Stars," the probable second-single "Jam for the Ladies," and the last two songs "Rafters" and "I'm Not Worried at All" which conclude with a more energetic tempo than is characteristic of the rest of the CD. Overall, this is pretty smooth, laid back music, but like I said, it has a warmth and feeling to it that makes me feel really comfortable listening to it, whether closely or in the background. It's subdued, reflective, a bit melancholy, but never despairing. It helps if one has an appreciation of pop music styles of the '70's because there's a fair amount of disco strings and other effects that kind of bring that era to mind. In fact, the more eclectic your musical tastes, the more likely this CD will continue to hold your interest.

Lyrically, you might read the words off the page and figure there's not much being said, but Moby has a knack for finding phrases that are expressive, and the vocalists render their simple phrases effectively.

His talent is as a song assembler, so one shouldn't approach this CD looking to hear innovative musicianship, flashy audio pyrotechnics or tripped-out mind-altering sounds. And as a dance record, it would not do much to liven up the party. I know that Moby CDs are still stocked in the electronica/dance music bins but that's probably because there's no more convenient place to put this kind of music. But it's no guarantee that people who like the Chemical Brothers, Orbital, Aphex Twin or Paul Oakenfold (all of which I like a lot) will dig this stuff. In fact, a lot of Moby haters may be found among the fans of such artists, because he's now seen as a sell-out or just kind of dull if one is looking for high-energy recordings. And if you didn't really see what all the fuss about Moby was before listening to this project, I very much doubt that you'll hear anything new to change your opinion. As for me, it will be playing pretty regularly for the foreseeable future.