2nd Wave (album)

For other uses, see Second wave (disambiguation).

2nd Wave
Studio album by Surface
Released	October 11, 1988 (1988-10-11)
Recorded	February – July 1988
Studio	The Lab (West Orange, New Jersey)
Genre	R&B, soul, funk
Length	37:25
Label	Columbia
Producer	Surface
Surface chronology
Surface (1986) 2nd Wave (1988) 3 Deep (1990)
Singles from 2nd Wave
"I Missed" Released: 1988 "Closer Than Friends" Released: 1989 "Shower Me with Your Love" Released: 1989 "You Are My Everything" Released: 1989 "Can We Spend Some Time" Released: 1989

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	link

2nd Wave is the second studio album by Surface, released in October 1988 on Columbia Records.

A total of five singles were released from the album. "I Missed" did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 but reached number 3 on the US R&B chart. "Closer Than Friends" peaked at number 57 on the pop charts and became the first of four R&B number-one hits for the group, followed by "Shower Me with Your Love," "You Are My Everything," and "The First Time."

Among all the songs on the album, "Shower Me with Your Love" achieved the most success, reaching number 5 on the pop charts.

The single "Can We Spend Some Time" peaked at number 5 on the R&B chart but did not enter the pop chart. Based on the chart performance of its singles, the album peaked at number 56 on the Billboard 200. However, it was later certified platinum in 1994. ^[1]

Reception

• AllMusic's Ron Wynn gave the album a rating of four out of five stars. He described it as "a good follow-up for the New Jersey trio" and highlighted the songs "Shower Me with Your Love" and "You Are My Everything" as standout tracks. ^[2]

Track listing

1. "Shower Me with Your Love" (Bernard Jackson) 4:53
2. "Closer Than Friends" (Jackson, David Townsend) 4:44
3. "Can We Spend Some Time" (Jackson) 4:30
4. "You Are My Everything" (Townsend, David Conley, Everett Collins, Derrick Culler) 4:28
5. "I Missed" (Jackson, Conley, Collins) 4:56
6. "Black Shades" (Culler, Gene Lennon, Joshua Thompson) 4:57
7. "Hold On to Love" (Jackson, Townsend, Conley) 4:10
8. "Where's That Girl" (Jackson, Townsend, Conley) 4:31

Personnel

Surface

• Bernard Jackson – arrangements (1–5, 7, 8), lead vocals, backing vocals (1, 2, 3, 5–8), guitars (3), electric bass (3), rapping (6)
• David Townsend – arrangements (1–5, 7, 8), guitars (1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8), electric piano (2, 3), synthesizers (2, 7, 8), drum programming (2, 7), backing vocals (4, 6)
• David "Pic" Conley – arrangements (1–5, 7, 8), saxophone (1), synth bass (2, 4, 7, 8), drum programming (2–5, 7, 8), percussion (4), flute (4, 7), backing vocals (4, 6), orchestral hits (5)

Additional musicians

• Brian Simpson – keyboards (1), synth bass (1), drum programming (1)
• Bobby Wooten – string synthesizer (1), string arrangements (1, 8), conductor (8)
• Vassal Benford – acoustic piano (2, 3), synthesizers (2–5, 7), horns (5), lead guitar (7)
• Everett Collins – synthesizers (4), backing vocals (4), synth bass (5), drum programming (5), drum arrangements (5), percussion (7)
• Joshua Thompson – keyboards (6), guitars (6), synth bass (6), drum programming (6)
• Gene Lennon – computer programming (6), drum programming (6), air filter voice (6)
• "Bassy" Bob Brockmann – cymbals (1)
• Larry Conley – saxophone (6)
• Derrick Culler – arrangements (6), backing vocals (6)
• Len-Thom – arrangements (6)
• Regina Belle – guest vocals (4, 7)
• Kathy "Cat-Nap" Griffin – backing vocals (6)
• Laurie Hawes – backing vocals (6)
• Cheryl Maynard – backing vocals (6)
• Lisa Stevens – backing vocals (6)
• Starleana Young – backing vocals (6)

Strings (tracks 1 & 8)

• Gene Orloff
• Julian Barbara
• Alfred Brown
• Arnold Eidus
• Max Ellen
• Harry Lookofsky
• Mark Shuman
• Marti Sweet
• Fred Zlotkin

Production

• Surface – producers
• John Falzarano – engineer (1)
• David Conley – engineer (2–8)
• Paul Higgins – assistant engineer
• Joseph Intife – assistant engineer
• Bob Brockmann – mixing (1–3, 6, 7)
• Carl Beatty – mixing (4, 5, 8)
• Frank Nogverias – mix assistant
• Jose Rodriguez – mastering
• Josephine DiDonato – art direction, design
• Britain Hill – photography

Studios

• Overdubbed at House of Music (West Orange, New Jersey).
• Mixed at Marathon Studios (New York City, New York).
• Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York).

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1989) Peak position US Billboard 200 [3] 56 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [4] 5

Year-end charts Chart (1989) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [5] 6

References

1. RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database; accessed September 3, 2011 Archived August 30, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
2. 2nd Wave at AllMusic; reviewed by Ron Wynn; accessed September 3, 2011
3. "Surface Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
4. "Surface Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
5. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1989". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2021.