By – Kristi Houk

Allow me to stretch out a little bit here. This is not typically a platform for writing about heavy hitters like Moby (he’s been bff’s with Madonna and Gwen Stefani for chrissakes), not to mention his indisputable influence on electronic music, but I am a sucker for a gospel choir and a good dose of nostalgia. So, here goes: 

Released on the renowned classical music label, Deutsche Grammophon, Resound NYC is Moby’s second dive into the orchestral world. The first being 2021’s Reprise featuring the LA Philharmonic and guest vocals from Kris Kristofferson and Jim James. 

Call it a love letter to New York. Moby was born in Harlem, and all tracks were written or recorded while he was living in the city (2004 – 2010). There are a ton of reworked hits here, most notably “In My Heart,” a single off his sixth album, 18, released in 2003. The new version features achingly beautiful vocals from jazz vocalist, Gregory Porter and a chilling string arrangement. This is the stuff of goosebumps. 

Don’t even think about getting through “In This World” with vocals by Broadway sensation Marisha Wallace or “When It’s Cold I’d Like to Die” featuring P.T. Banks without a few lumps in the throat. You can cry and dance at the same time.   

I think the point of this album is to gain a new poignancy that couldn’t have existed when the songs were first recorded. A lot has happened collectively in this world (pun intended) since they were originally written. As a society, we’ve been through significant trauma and maybe these songs mean more now than they ever did.  

When asked “Why go back to old work? Moby says:

“The utility of revisiting the past and to me the most interesting aspect of it is using past experience, lived experience of the past to gain a broader perspective on the present.”

I’m not crying—you’re crying.