2nd Wave (album)

2nd Wave
Studio album by Surface
Released	October 11, 1988
Recorded	The Lab (West Orange New Jersey), February – July 1988
Genre	R&B, Soul
Length	37:25
Label	Columbia
Producer	Surface
Surface chronology
Surface (1986) 2nd Wave (1988) 3 Deep (1990)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link

2nd Wave is the second full-length studio release from popular late-eighties soul trio Surface. The album was self-produced and released in 1988 on Columbia Records.

A total of five singles were released from the disc: "I Missed" completely missed the Billboard Hot 100 while climbing to number 3 on the US R&B charts. "Closer Than Friends" made the pop charts at number 57, while becoming the first of a quartet of R&B number ones for the group (with "Shower Me With Your Love" & "You Are My Everything" being the other two). Of those two above-mentioned songs, only "Shower Me..." was a big hit, reaching number 5 on the pop charts. The other song, "Can We Spend Some Time" was a pop chart flop, while reaching number 5 on the R&B charts. Based on the chart (both pop and R&B) success of the singles, the album peaked at number 56 but was certified platinum (albeit six years later, in 1994)^[1]

Reception

• allmusic's Ron Wynn gave the disc a rating of four stars (of a possible five). He called it "a good follow-up for the New Jersey trio", and singled out the songs "Shower Me With Your Love" and "You Are My Everything" at critical picks on the album.^[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: Lead & Backing Vocal, Guitars and Electric Bass on "Can We Spend Some Time", Rapping on "Black Shades"
• David Townsend: Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Synthesizers, Electric Piano, Drum Programming, Vocal Backing
• David "Pic" Conley: Saxophone, Synthesized Bass, Drum Programming, Percussion, Flute, Orchestral Hits, Vocal Backing

^[3]

Additional Musicians

• Bobby Wooten: String Synthesizers & String Arrangements
• Bob Brockman: Cymbals
• Brian Simpson: Keyboards, Synthesized Bass, Drum Programming
• Vassal Benford: Synthesizers, Acoustic Piano
• Everett Collins: Synthesizers, Synthesized Bass, Drum Programming, Vocal Backing
• Gene Lennon: Vocal Effects, Drum & Computer Programming
• Regina Belle: Special Guest Vocalist On "You Are My Everything" & "Hold On To Love"
• Kathy "Cat-Nap" Griffin, Lauri Hawes, Cheryl Maynard, Lisa Stevens, Derrick Culler, Starleana Young: Vocals Backing

Production

• Arranged By Surface, except "Black Shades" arranged By Lee Thorn & Derrick Culler
• Produced By Surface
• Engineered By David Conley, with assistance by Paul Higgins & Joe Intife
• Mix Engineered By Bob Brockman & Carl Beatty, with assistance by Frank Nogverias
• Mastered By Jose Rodriguez

References