Many keepers on The Systematics? new CD
	Thursday, June 19, 2003 -- LISTENING to "Full Circle," the debut disc by The Systematics, I am once again reminded how lucky I am to live in the Valley. The local R&B quintet of graduates from Amherst Regional High School and the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter High School has made an inspired, original record that inhabits a rare kind of groovy, jazzy terrain.

Yes, I hear the collective moan out there: These days the world is plagued by groovy jazzy bands. But while it's true The Systematics use their share of clipped, hiccuping funk beats, that's not all they have to offer; they're too smart to settle for monotonous modern boogie. They have a vocabulary and a palette and they're not afraid to use them.

The band's only been together for 21/2 years, but vocalist Alecia Chakour, guitarist Ross Bellenoit, drummer Noah Bond, bassist Chris Dale, and keyboardist Jake Last sound like they've spent most of those moments in rooms together - in private and in public - working hard and happily on their music. "Full Circle" is 11 songs worth of the group's labor so far.

The tunes hint at influences - the Brand New Heavies, Frank Zappa, Steely Dan and other jazzy '70s pop-fusion, funky blues, sophisticated disco-era R&B - but The Systematics don't copycat. They've got a quirky sound, which is characteristic of a young band; it's a quality that often gets sanded away by a simple-minded record company looking for hits, or by the group itself when it gets mired instead of inspired.

But right now the quintet is capable of motion, creatively and on the dance floor.

"Hang On" starts the album strongly, showcasing everyone's chops in a tight, melodic pop song setting - Bellenoit's electric guitar playing stands out the most, thanks to a concise solo that would have fit in on a great radio hit of the '70s, back when they'd call in the studio pro to lay one down.

Nearly every song on the disc is a keeper. "Something New" has cool piano chords - it's like Elton John meets Live On the Planet - and Dale's cello makes an appearance near the song's end that brilliantly adds another level to the sonic space. The recorded-live instrumental "Messenger" sounds like Chic at a low-budget garage rehearsal. "Z Song" has a Rhodes electric piano that pulses like chirping crickets across a neighborhood on a quiet, muggy summer night. There's lots of quality stuff going on. Songs grab me music-first, and the Systematics have me by the collar in that department. Lyrics take longer to sink in, and so far, the band's, largely written by Bellenoit, slip by me in wordy streams. But a great line that did jump out is from "Neck of the Woods": "Everybody's acting like queens and kings / and I ain't gonna drink what the waitress brings / (in this neck of the woods)."

A small complaint is that while the songs and performances on "Full Circle" seem from a glorious past era where lots of sweat, skill and thought went into such things, I wish the recording had the benefit of that era's heavy analog equipment. Instead it's a true product of today's lightweight computer age - in fact, my computer would only read the disc as a collection of MP3 files, not a continuous album. The disc sounds sort of thin, which has zero to do with the band's talent and everything to do with the recording, or mixing, or maybe just mastering. The Systematics deserve a larger budget!

But regardless of money and studio constraints, they've made a quality debut record, fresh and funky, classy and clean. The disc includes a rawly recorded hidden live track that shows lots of roaring bottom-end and a monster groove; it's a grittier sound that makes all that came before it seem almost prissy by comparison. You can experience that live vibe when the Systematics play The Barn in Enfield, Conn., on Friday (check the band's Web site for set time), and also at the People's Pint in Greenfield on July 5 at 10 p.m.