Surprise was given mixed reviews following its release.
Cash Box found the album had "a fresh sound" and credited it to "some of Nashville's finest musicians" who played on the instrumentation. Jerry Sharpe of
The Pittsburgh Press found
Surprise lacked the country style despite being categorized in the genre, writing, "She doesn't sound country. There are no steel guitar or fiddle sounds in her backup music, there's no country sound in her voice, and her songs aren't about the time-honored subjects of mama, home, drinkin', cheatin' or underdogs." Yet, Sharpe also named Sylvia one of the "talented people who aren't traditional country" but "get a chance to make good." David Mulholland of the
Ottawa Citizen called Sylvia "a good singer getting better", further writing, "Her voice has a much deeper texture reflecting a woman who's gone through some emotional ups and downs in the past couple of years."
AllMusic only rated
Surprise two out of five possible stars with no written review given. ==Release, chart performance and singles==