Surprise
Studio album by
Syd Straw
Released1989
GenreFolk rock
LabelVirgin
ProducerSyd Straw
Syd Straw chronology
Surprise
(1989)		 War and Peace
(1996)

Surprise is the debut solo album by the American musician Syd Straw, released in 1989.[1][2] The first single was "Future 40's (String of Pearls)".[3] Straw supported the album with a North American tour, backed by a band that included D.J. Bonebrake and Dave Alvin.[4][5] Surprise was a commercial disappointment.[6]

Production

The album was produced primarily by Straw, who also wrote or cowrote most of the songs.[7][8] She spent more than year recording it at studios in London, New Orleans, New York, Austin, and Los Angeles.[9] "Future 40's (String of Pearls)" was cowritten by Jody Harris and Michael Stipe.[3] "Think Too Hard" was written by Peter Holsapple; Marshall Crenshaw played guitar on it.[10][11] "Hard Times", coproduced by Van Dyke Parks, was composed by Stephen Foster.[12][13] Richard Thompson played guitar on "Sphinx".[14] John Doe contributed backing vocals to some of the tracks.[15] Straw considered "The Unanswered Question?" to be a combination of pop music and opera.[16]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[17]
Chicago Sun-Times[15]
Chicago Tribune[14]
Robert ChristgauB[18]
Los Angeles Times[19]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[20]
St. Petersburg Times[8]

The New York Times concluded that "perhaps the most striking cut on Surprise is 'Almost Magic', a diaphanously textured showcase of overdubbed vocals on a song in which Ms. Straw pleads for one more chance to hold together a crumbling relationship."[3] Trouser Press determined that the album "boasts a guest list that suggests a hipper version of the bloated superstar processions Peter Asher used to assemble for James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt."[10] The Los Angeles Times wrote that "the slower, softer [songs] ache or rage convincingly, a Talking Heads-style art-funk number hits its groove, a Dylanesque shaggy-dog story ambles along playfully."[19]

Spin opined that "her voice, though beautifully pitched, lacks emotional range."[21] The Globe and Mail called Surprise "both immediately accessible, full of familiar country and pop elements, and bursting with interesting little instrumental and vocal flourishes."[22] The Washington Post deemed the songs "electric, eclectic folk-rock, with elliptical, fragmented lyrics ... and a tendency toward melodic meandering."[11] The Sacramento Bee considered it one of 1989's best debut albums.[23]

AllMusic wrote: "The album's style and production mix jangle pop elements from the preceding decade with a roots rock tone, and the overall result has a healthy folkish disposition. Surprise anticipates what was to come for females in rock during the '90s."[17]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Think Too Hard" 
2."Heart of Darkness" 
3."Chasing Vapor Trails (His Turn to Cry)" 
4."Almost Magic" 
5."Crazy American" 
6."Hard Times" 
7."Future 40's (String of Pearls)" 
8."The Unanswered Question?" 
9."Sphinx" 
10."Racing to the Ruins" 
11."Golden Dreams" 

References

  1. ↑ Williams, Stephen (18 June 1989). "A Whole Lotta Quakin' Syd Straw". Part II. Newsday. p. 13.
  2. ↑ "Music". New York. Vol. 22, no. 28. Jul 17, 1989. p. 21.
  3. 1 2 3 Holden, Stephen (21 June 1989). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C19.
  4. ↑ Potter, Mitch (17 Oct 1989). "Pop's Syd Straw can afford to be flip". Toronto Star. p. E1.
  5. ↑ Brodeur, Scott (30 Oct 1989). "Camper Van Beethoven at the Chestnut Cabaret". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E5.
  6. ↑ Shapiro, Benjamin (Apr 12, 1993). "Syd Straw Brings Harmony to Recording". All Things Considered. NPR.
  7. 1 2 MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 652.
  8. 1 2 Jones, Malcolm (15 Sep 1989). "Sound Bites". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 18.
  9. ↑ Blackstock, Peter (13 July 1989). "Straw debut a delightful 'Surprise'". Austin American-Statesman. p. G2.
  10. 1 2 "Syd Straw". Trouser Press. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  11. 1 2 Brown, Joe (11 Aug 1989). "Feminine Folk, Rockin' Proud". The Washington Post. p. N23.
  12. ↑ Browne, David (11 Apr 1992). "Longest comeback: America's first pop star finally getting respect". The Gazette. Montreal. p. E13.
  13. ↑ Gnerre, Sam (July 28, 1989). "Syd Straw gives fans a 'Surprise'". Daily Breeze. p. E12.
  14. 1 2 Heim, Chris (17 Aug 1989). "Rave Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 15F.
  15. 1 2 McLeese, Don (June 26, 1989). "Syd Straw, 'Surprise'". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 2:23.
  16. ↑ Harrison, Tom (13 Aug 1989). "Syd Straw: Surprise". Entertainment. The Province. p. 74.
  17. 1 2 "Surprise Review by MacKenzie Wilson". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  18. ↑ "Syd Straw". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  19. 1 2 Boehm, Mike (9 July 1989). "Pop Stars". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 63.
  20. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 678.
  21. ↑ Schoemer, Karen (Aug 1989). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 5, no. 5. p. 74.
  22. ↑ Dafoe, Chris (13 July 1989). "Surprise Syd Straw". The Globe and Mail. p. C6.
  23. ↑ "The New Order". The Sacramento Bee. October 22, 1989. p. EN16.
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