Wikipedia

Surprise (Crystal Waters album)

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.

Surprise
Studio album by
Crystal Waters
ReleasedJune 25, 1991
Recorded1990–1991
GenreHouse
Length45:33
LabelMercury
ProducerThe 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

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

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
Robert Christgau [5]
Entertainment WeeklyA[6]
Los Angeles Daily News(favorable)[7]
Melody Maker(mixed)[8]
Music & Media(favorable)[9]
NME5/10[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

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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 Ross2:27
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

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Album

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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

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US Chart performance for singles from Surprise
Year Single Chart Peak
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

References

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  1. ^ "Inquirer.com: Philadelphia local news, sports, jobs, cars, homes". Inquirer.com. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  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.
  12. ^ "Crystal Waters ARIA chart history 2024". ARIA. Retrieved July 19, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  13. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Crystal Waters – Surprise" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  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. ^ a b c "Crystal Waters Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c "Crystal Waters Chart History: Dance Singles Sales". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  21. ^ a b "Crystal Waters Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  22. ^ "Crystal Waters Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
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