Moby
Hotel

THE REVIEW

Richard Melville, aka Moby, returns to the limelight in 2005 with his new musical endeavor: the album Hotel.
After the misstep of 18, merely a copy, and a rather unsuccessful one at that, of the brilliant work entitled Play, our New York DJ decides to change course by breaking the silence and abandoning the sounds that characterized Play and brought him success. This Hotel is indeed all about songs with an exquisitely pop form. But don't get me wrong! Our Moby is not one to make cheap electro-pop ditties; after all, he's been a DJ for a lifetime, he lives with and for music, it runs in his veins. Simply in this album, his flair and excessive ability to create classy melodies and electronic textures are completely devoted to achieving the sole objective of a catchy nature of the tracks.

Has Moby sold out? Has he also fully surrendered to the music business? (as the use of "lift me up" for the ad of a famous local telephone company would indisputably demonstrate?)
NO, simply our eclectic DJ knew it was time to change the air, to return to more familiar grounds, to show how even pop ditties can have a soul.
Yes, because these 14 tracks that make up Hotel, as incredibly easy to absorb as they may be, if listened to carefully, show a whole undercurrent of well-thought-out sounds, studied melodies, instruments excellently blended, sought-after atmospheres. Like for example the delicate "Temptation," revolving around guitar, piano, and the slow, steady beat of drums, all enhanced by the voice of Laura Dawn who punctuates this modern ballad. Melancholic atmospheres also characterize the splendid "Where you end," with Moby's voice on the mic (who is often present singing on this album), and what about "Love should"? They alternate with these darkly melancholic moments with more upbeat songs like "Very," balancing between dance rhythms and pop form, or "I like it," where Moby's trip-hop soul creates a piece worthy of a Tricky or Massive Attack album, or yet the catchy "lift me up" or even "beautiful," a song ready to take its turn.
Certainly, what comes out of it is nothing innovative, but one can't always seek experimentation; sometimes our ears love to be enchanted by catchy sounds, and if these are the work of someone who truly knows their craft, all the better.

In conclusion, an album that will make waves, for me an excellent electro-pop work, our Moby undoubtedly has talent. It doesn't deserve incredibly high ratings, but it allows for listening and never bores.
What more do you want from a pop album?!?