Moby: Innocents

It's unfair (if inevitable) that the slings and arrows directed at Moby have stuck hard since his Play, his 1999 crossover smasheroo album: that he's an oddball who toys with ambient styles and samples too many crackling blues/gospel tunes for his own good. Innocents arrives two years after the utterly anonymous Destroyed (no, can't remember a thing from it, either) and, as if in a vain attempt to reverse the slump, the Moby album it most references is Play. Moby is aided by guest singers Cold Specks, Mark Lanegan, Damien Jurado, Wayne Coyne and Skylar Grey, and the MO here is clearly of the if-it-ain't-broke-don't-you-dare- mess-with-it variety. Which is not to say it's all bad; there's little wrong with understated beats, smooth chill-out, snagging blues and interesting vocalists, but it's a skilful formula that has been delivered before (and not just once) by the same musician/archivist. moby.com
Download: Almost Home, Tell Me