release date: May 13, 2002
format: digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Moby
label: Mute Records - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "We Are All Made of Stars" - 2. "In This World" - 11. "Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)" - 15. "Harbour" (feat. Sinéad O'Connor) - 17. "The Rafters"
6th studio album by Moby follows closely in the footsteps of his international break-through album Play from 1999 incorporating many samples. It contains 18 tracks and has a total running time above 71 mins. and it turns out a bit more experimental compared to his great '99 album, as it isn't composed in the same danceable house-style but reflects a bolder ambient and downtempo electronic release.
Possibly, aided by the success of the predecessor, 18 became an immediate world-wide top-selling album reaching number #4 on the Billboard 200 in the US - topping the Dance / Electronic list there, and also topping albums chart lists in several countries including Australia, France, Germany and the UK making it his so far best-selling album.
For a long time, I found it a bit of a disappointing and mediocre affair, possibly handing it 2,5 / 5, but over the years I have come to regard it as much better than that. It doesn't contain strong singles like "Porcelain" from the '99 album, but it's nicely held together and has an underlying melancholic tone, which makes it quite gripping once you get to the core of the album. In fact, it's a much more coherent collection of songs than the big mish-mash of styles and almost two-sided affair from start to finish that you find on the acclaimed Play.
A grower of an album, mind you.
[ allmusic.com, Blender, Q Magazine 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]
