Moby & Gwen Stefani - South Side [US CD] [CD-SINGLE] (CD)

All Music Guide

No one, least of all Moby, expected the album Play to be the runaway success that it was. The album had been out for nearly a year and a half by the time "South Side" was plucked for single release. "South Side," with added vocals courtesy of No Doubt's Gwen Stefani, proved to be a smash with considerable staying power, eventually peaking in the U.S. Top 20. The maxi-single, stocked with remixes and bonus tracks, proved quite a treat for fans. Not only did it include the Gwen Stefani version, but also the original album version (for comparison purposes), two remixes, one instrumental, and two bonus tracks. The version of "South Side" with Gwen Stefani is a no-brainer -- turning the song into a duet immediately fleshed out the vocals and made it stronger and edgier than the original. The "Hybrid Dishing Pump Remix" is a trippy, frenetic, ambient, high energy track whose beat doesn't even start until two minutes into the song. The "Pete Heller Park Lane Vocal" is a colder, bass-heavy mix..., slightly inferior to the "Hybrid" Remix, which is also included as an instrumental. "Ain't Never Learned," one of the bonus tracks, is unavailable on any Moby album (but is available on the Tomb Raider soundtrack), and is a raw, techno/trancy dance cut. The final cut, "The Sun Never Stops Setting," is a majestic, cinematic, and meditative piece of mood music, and can also be found on Play/The B-Sides. This maxi-single definitely provides the consumer and collector their money's worth, and is a welcome addition to the Moby catalog. - Jose F. Promis, All Music Guide Read more Less