Is 18 Too Old?

Eminem may say that Moby is "too old," but actually the veteran musician just turned 36 on September 11. Numerically, Moby should still be capable of churning out the pop hits--many of which have been sold to corporate America--that have given him fame in recent years. However, Eminem's comment can't be completely discounted--it seems he must have gotten an advance copy of 18, Moby's newest effort that all 10 million people who bought his last album, Play, have been waiting for all year.

Unfortunately for Moby, Eminem's other lyric--"Nobody listens to techno"--may prove prophetic after 18's release. It seems that the formula which worked so well for Play and made him everyone's favorite bald guy just sounds hackneyed this time around.

For the first time in his career, the man who used to thwart all expectations with each new record, moving from techno to heavy metal in one jump, has turned out 18 songs that sound pretty much like the last set of songs he released.

18 is filled with more of the same trippy, but not too trippy, beats overlaid with gospel and soul samples--perfect for hawking a couple of million more tennis shoes. But really, what did we expect him to do? The formula works.

Whether he's rocketing through space on the album's first big single, "We Are All Made of Stars," getting down with guests Angie Stone and MC Lyte on "Jam for the Ladies," or just floating along, as he does for damn near the rest of the album, Moby provides beats that are just catchy and innocuous enough to provide a soundtrack for life--exactly what his fans love about him.

--Macy Parker