On the heels of the multi-platinum selling Play, Moby’s 18 both soars and sinks, matching the caliber of his most recent feat. Now a household name, Moby, (scrawny bald, activist/hipster musician) administers trademark doses of groovy gospel and soul samples, loops, beats, nervous guitars, piano, synths and strings. Noteworthy, also, is his use of vocalists, such as Azure Ray, Sinead O’Connor, and Mc Lyte. Moby’s thematic creativity soars on “We Are All Made of Stars,” the eerily gorgeous “Signs of Love,” and “Sleep Alone.” The Barbara Lynn sample in “Another Woman” skims over swanky bass lines, and twinkling ivories making for another memorable track. The O’Connor song is also among the most beautiful that she has recorded lately, with life-affirming lyrics, “My heart is full.”

But at the same time, this seamless continuation to Play at times bears the mark of similarly rearranged elements from the previous recording, without much attempt to surpass his own formula. To be fair, Moby is incredibly skilled at culling sound-clips, and arranging those famous goosebump chords. But - at the same time - we already know that he can do that. Hopefully he will continue to take greater strides, leaping past this halfway step between Play and work.