In one of the two essays in the liner notes for {^18}, {$Moby} alludes to his past as a "rigid" idealist about life and music, expressing that he's tried to open himself and hoping that he's succeeded. In a way, he already succeeded with his previous album, {^Play}, a remarkable record that cannily used {\field recordings} and {\blues} as the basis for an expert set of modern {\electronica} -- through repeated exposure (every song was licensed for a commercial or a movie) and sheer hard work, it became a massive hit, unlike most albums in its genre, establishing {$Moby} as one of the few {\electronica} superstars. It also gave him the freedom to make a record as meditative and assured as {^18}, a quietly seductive set that capitalizes on his status as a star in the sense that he takes complete freedom to make music that isn't necessarily hip. Essentially, this is a lateral move away from {^Play}, abandoning its attention-grabbing musical thesis of turning the past into the present -- there are still hints of roots music, yet they're usually telegraphed through soulful vocals that have always been a staple of {\house} and dance music -- and returning to his bedrock of dance and {\electronic} music, yet presented with the skill he illustrated on {^Play}, a new open-heartedness and, yes, a maturity previously unheard in his music. Maturity is often seen as a death-knell criticism, especially in a perpetually fashion-conscious genre like {\electronica}, but this is only a good thing here, because it means that {$Moby} not only creates a shimmering, reflective mood from the outset, but that he sustains it throughout the 18 songs, as the album shifts from {\pop} and {\soul} songs to soaring instrumental stretches, letting the sound deepen and change colors with each new track. Cynics could snipe and say this is coffeehouse, yuppie {\electronica} or claim that he's done nothing new with this record, and they'd be right only in the coldest, literal sense that it would appeal to upscale {\urban} listeners and that he's not really breaking new ground, only consolidating his strengths. Yet that is no small thing -- he has created a record that might not be as wildly eclectic on the surface as {^Play}, and it certainly lacks {\club} hits on the level of {&"Bodyrock"} or {&"South Side,"} but it's a warm, enveloping, humanistic record with real emotional resonance, which surely is a noteworthy artistic step forward. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide