The British duo Waterfront unleashed its debut album in 1989, around the same time similar-sounding bands like
Johnny Hates Jazz and
Breathe found major American success with their debut releases. Like its counterparts, Waterfront specialized in highly polished and impeccably produced blue-eyed soul, and the band scored an American Top Ten hit with the catchy single "Cry." However, Waterfront's success was short-lived. The follow-up single "Nature of Love" (a virtual rewrite of the
Johnny Hates Jazz 1988 number two hit "Shattered Dreams") failed to crack the Top 40, and Waterfront disappeared from the charts completely shortly thereafter.
The duo's only album
Waterfront has a few pleasant moments -- the aforementioned singles are keepers, as is the clever "Platinum Halo" -- but most of the album is vapid adult contemporary filler, lushly produced but utterly forgettable. Perhaps wisely, Waterfront never released a second album, insuring its one-hit wonder status. ~ William Cooper