album, but his friends and management advised against it. There were arguments between Moby and V2 over the use of vocal samples on 18, and V2 believed that a follow-up album that sounded like Play was going to attract criticism. Moby named the album after the number of tracks that he put on it, and his fondness towards the idea of the title being easily translated and known as something different in other countries. He pointed out that there are some "really esoteric reasons" for the title, but did not mention them. On his website, Moby hinted that those who had visited Israel and are familiar with conspiracy theories regarding extra-terrestrials may spot its significance. He said that Play and 18 were structured around the same motivation: "The desire to make compassionate records that meet a need in someone else's life." By the time of the September 11 attacks in New York City, the album was almost recorded and finished. Following the incident, Moby made alterations to "Sleep Alone" as he found some of its lyrics "too prescient"; the line "Pieces of fire touch your hair" became "Pieces of light". Moby had written "Harbour" in 1984, at nineteen years of age; Sinead O'Connor was surprised upon learning this, as she initially thought the song related to pre- and post-September 11 events. O'Connor was too afraid to fly to New York City to record her vocals at the time, so she used a studio in London. Prior to the album's release, V2 Records avoided to send advance copies to soundtrack supervisors. As Play had gained momentum after it was licensed to television and film productions, the label did not rule out the possibility of licensing tracks from 18 but wanted to hold out from doing so until the official launch. Critical reception 18 received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album four stars out of five, writing that, "Moby not only creates a shimmering, reflective mood from the outset, but [that] he sustains it throughout the 18 songs, as the album shifts from pop and soul songs to soaring instrumental stretches letting the sound deepen and change colors with each new track." Track