Surprise (Crystal Waters album)

Last updated

Surprise
Crystal Waters - Surprise album cover.png
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 25, 1991
Recorded1990–1991
Genre House
Length45:33
Label Mercury
Producer The Basement Boys
Crystal Waters chronology
Surprise
(1991)
Storyteller
(1994)
Singles from Surprise
  1. "Gypsy Woman"
    Released: April 3, 1991
  2. "Makin' Happy"
    Released: November 10, 1991
  3. "Surprise"
    Released: 1991

Surprise is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Crystal Waters released on June 25, 1991, [1] by Mercury Records. It includes the hit singles "Makin' Happy", "Surprise" and the top ten hit "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)", which peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot 100, [2] and number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.

Contents

Although the album stalled at number 197 on the US Billboard 200, it performed better in both the club/dance and urban music markets, peaking at number 65 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It also peaked at number 23 on the Top Heatseekers chart. [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Robert Christgau Scissors icon black.svg [5]
Entertainment Weekly A [6]
Los Angeles Daily News (favorable) [7]
Melody Maker (mixed) [8]
Music & Media (favorable) [9]
NME 5/10 [10]

The New York Times noted that "the tension between Ms. Waters's eccentric, melodic songwriting and the streamlined, dance-floor production makes for quirky, modern music." [11]

Track listing

Surprise track listing
No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Gypsy Woman" (Radio Mix)Neal Conway, Crystal Waters3:48
2."Surprise"Neal Conway, Crystal Waters4:24
3."Makin' Happy"Neal Conway, Mark Harris, Crystal Waters5:33
4."Small Cry"Bert Collins, Crystal Waters4:43
5."Tell Me"Bert Collins, Crystal Waters9:11
6."Good Lovin'"Neal Conway, Crystal Waters5:02
7."Twisted" Wardell Gray, Annie Ross 2:27
8."Deepest of Hearts"Crystal Waters2:54
9."Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)" (Basement Boy(s) "Strip to the Bone" Mix)Neal Conway, Crystal Waters7:31

Chart positions

Album

Chart performance for Surprise
Chart (1991)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [12] 177
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [13] 23
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [14] 81
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [15] 45
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [16] 24
US Billboard 200 [17] 197
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [18] 65

Singles

US Chart performance for singles from Surprise
YearSingleChartPeak
position
1991"Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)"US Hot Dance Music/Club Play [19] 1
1991"Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)"US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales [20] 1
1991"Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)"US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks [21] 25
1991"Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)"US Billboard Hot 100 [22] 8
1991"Makin' Happy"US Hot Dance Music/Club Play [19] 1
1991"Makin' Happy"US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales [20] 1
1991"Makin' Happy"US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks [21] 63
1991"Surprise"US Hot Dance Music/Club Play [19] 35
1992"Surprise"US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales [20] 9

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References

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  2. Billboard.com – Artist Chart History – Crystal Waters
  3. "Crystal Waters Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  4. AllMusic review
  5. "Crystal Waters". Robert Christgau . Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  6. "Surprise". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  7. Bruce Britt (1991). "Crystal Waters – Surprise. Los Angeles Daily News – via Milwaukee Journal . (September 8, 1991).
  8. Push (July 27, 1991). "Albums". Melody Maker . p. 32. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  9. "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media . August 10, 1991. p. 10. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  10. Glennie, Jo (August 3, 1991). "Long Play". NME . p. 26. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  11. Watrous, Peter (June 9, 1991). "'Gypsy Woman': Of Pathos and Pride". The New York Times. p. A26.
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  14. "Dutchcharts.nl – Crystal Waters – Surprise" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Crystal Waters – Surprise" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  16. "Swisscharts.com – Crystal Waters – Surprise". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  17. "Crystal Waters Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  18. "Crystal Waters Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  19. 1 2 3 "Crystal Waters Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  20. 1 2 3 "Crystal Waters Chart History: Dance Singles Sales". Billboard . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  21. 1 2 "Crystal Waters Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard . Retrieved December 19, 2022.
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