Although they had a number of
R&B
hits during the late '80s,
Surface
didn't cross over into the
pop
mainstream in any notable way. They scraped the bottom reaches of the charts a few times, but they never had a breakout hit that would establish them as stars. Listening to
Columbia/Legacy
's definitive retrospective
The First Time: The Best of Surface
, it's possible to hear why they didn't break out -- they simply didn't have a song that would break them big. That doesn't mean that they were a bad group, since they were very competent within their genre and several hits here are very pleasant late-'80s urban cuts, either on the
ballad
or dance side. But there's nothing particularly striking, nothing with a hook that would send the band soaring up the
charts. Still, if you happen to be a fan, either of the group or of this sound, this is a pleasing listen, and a very representative overview of what
achieved. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine