Rolling Stone (5/23/02, pp.77-78) - 3.5 out of 5 stars - "...His impolitic insistence on stroking his pop-star ambitions...has been good for his music, forcing him to master the pop virutes of melody, variety and rhythmic drive..."
Spin (1/03, p.72) - Ranked #29 on Spin's list of 2002's "Albums of the Year" - "...Somber like a Sunday afternoon."
Entertainment Weekly (12/20-27/02, p.126) - Ranked #8 on EW's list of 2002's "Albums of the Year" - "...The tracks that merge his trademark aural wash with sensual female R&B voices from the '60s and '70s are some of the year's most rapturous music..."
Q (12/02, p.66) - Included in Q Magazine's "The 50 Best Albums of 2002."
Q (May 2002, p.105) - 4 out of 5 stars - "...Its music is more sensitive, its emotions more personal and...what's on offer is a closer, more inviting experience....They're songs rather than cleverly arranged loops...technically complete and emotionally raw..."
Alternative Press (5/02, p.77) - 8 out 10 - "...18 makes PLAY sound like a what-if experiment in techno blues...Everything is bluesier, achier and more awestruck....Moby's contradictions give 18 its depth and forgive the extrapolation of PLAY's blueprint..."
CMJ (5/13/02, p.4) - "...Moby the composer and musician emerges as an emotional lover of soul music and R&B....features a batch of diverse, uplifting and melancholy songs..."
Vibe (June 2002, pp.147-148) - 3 out of 5 - "...Moby reveals a weary, wary soul on...18....setting samples of blues and gospel recordings from the '30s and '40s to a mournful, contemporary beat..."
Personnel includes: Moby (vocals, various instruments); Jennifer Price, Azure Ray, Dianne McCauley, Angie Stone, MC Lyte, Freedom Bremner, Sinead O'Connor, Shauna & Lorraine Phillips, The Shining Light Gospel Choir (vocals).
Includes liner notes by Moby.
"18" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance.
Continuing to deliver the kind of soulful electronica with an ethereal sheen that made PLAY such a breakthrough album for him, Moby keeps the good vibrations going on the equally engaging follow-up 18. Having previously drawn from such disparate sources as subtle dance beats and samples of African-American spirituals, it's not surprising that this devout Christian once again looked to the church for recruits. This time around the talents of The Shining Light Gospel Choir (the revival-like "I'm Not Worried At All" and the sweeping "In My Heart") and the recently ordained Sinead O'Connor (the lush "Harbour") get tapped.
Moby avoids making 18 a strictly austere affair by throwing some beats onto the barbie in the shape of the thumping Angie Stone/M.C. Lyte collaboration "Jam For The Ladies" and the subtle cut-and-paste funk of "Sunday (The Day Before My Birthday)." Moby does a fine job manning the mike himself for the striking '80s-style electro-pop meditation "We Are All Made Of Stars" and the equally gorgeous soundscape "Signs Of Love." Ever the sonic chef, Moby has once again succeeded in whipping together a collection of songs that are the musical equivalent of comfort food.
