release date: May 17, 1999
format: cd (CDStumm172)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,82]
producer: Moby
label: Mute Records - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "Honey" - 2. "Find My Baby" - 3. "Porcelain" - 5. "South Side" - 6. "Rushing" - 7. "Bodyrock" - 8. "Natural Blues" - 9. "Machete" - 11. "Run On" - 15. "Inside"
5th studio album by Moby [aka Richard Melville Hall] sees him return to the electronic genre after his 'detour' into hardcore punk rock on the album Animal Rights (1996), which almost had him stop making music. With Play he investigates the genre of downtempo house with a combo of progressive ambient and a strong use of sampling.
The album is regarded as a corner-stone of modern electronica and it's his perhaps most lauded album, although, it didn't sell all too well - at first. Its prominent status has been achieved over a span of several years. Stylistically, it's an electronic dance pop and electronic house album where Moby blends all sorts of styles and cleverly makes use of sampling to produce one of the most positive feel-good dance pop albums of the decade. The album also feature several guest artists, including Bessie Jones (track #1) and Gwen Stefani (track #5).
To me, Moby is America's answer to Fatboy Slim. Sometimes his music is exactly like that of Slim's, sometimes it's more like The Chemical Brothers, at other times it's more like The Orb, and then at other times it's just so unique.
The first three tracks are simply stunningly great, and despite some minor fillers among the total of 18 tracks, the album is deservedly enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
Overall I would have rated it higher if the second half was half as good as the first half.
Highly recommendable.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Rolling Stone, Q Magazine 4 / 5 stars ]
