Surprise (Crystal Waters album)
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| Surprise | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 25, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990–1991 | |||
| Genre | House | |||
| Length | 45:33 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | The Basement Boys | |||
| Crystal Waters chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Surprise | ||||
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Surprise is the debut studio 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.
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]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Robert Christgau |  [5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[6] |
| Los Angeles Daily News | (favorable)[7] |
| Melody Maker | (mixed)[8] |
| Music & Media | (favorable)[9] |
| NME | 5/10[10] |
Jennifer Bowles from Chicago Sun-Times wrote that Waters' debut album "sports a wide variety of characters, including a fashion-conscious homeless woman who sings "'La da dee, la da da" and battered wives who love their abusive husbands." She added, "The jazz influence on the album, most notably the song 'Twisted', can be traced to Waters' childhood."[11] Peter Watrous from 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."[12]
