Play (1999)

Portions of this techno imp's best album since 1995's Everything Is Wrong are built on a simple premise: setting snippets from old blues and gospel recordings to new rhythmic (not always electronic) settings. What could've been a condescending gimmick yields some of the year's most haunting, and haunted, music. Moby's elegant soundscapes wipe away the mustiness on these decades-old voices and make the singers' heartache and hope seem fresh again. Although in need of a bit of pruning (notable exception: the gorgeous ''Porcelain,'' featuring Moby's own plaintive vocal), Play is music that truly moves back to the future. A-

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