On a mountain, by a fountain, flowers blooming everywhere, with Venus and with Cupid the picture's very clear...

The System were a link in the long line of pseudo-soul duos and groups that spanned the 80s and 90s. Usually consisting of a white guy and a black guy, these transient collectives dotted one-hit-wonders consistently, like a yearly meteor shower. You’ve got your Charles & Eddie, your Natural Selection, your Rhythm Syndicate, I can go on and on. The System was the prototype of them all, starting back in the late 70’s with singer Mic Murphy and keyboard whiz David Frank putting out lowkey space-funk that was quite good, especially with underground hit “You Are In My System”. With a synth hook that just won’t quit, “System” deserved to be much more of a hit than it was. Here's a clip of it...try not to stare at Mic Murphy's "Beat It" moves.

Fast forward a few years later, with the release of the single “Don’t Disturb This Groove”., which did manage to hit and hit big, making #1 R&B as well as top-5 on the pop chart. And it was no surprise, given a classic melody and lush production, it was much mor a soulful pop song than a accessible R&B song. That track anchors the Don’t Disturb This Groove album in the leadoff position, and for most people, unfortunately that’s all you’re going to want to hear. Unlike their previous output, this album clearly was made for a commercial audience, it is so reeks of 1985 you can smell it from 10 paces away. Lovers of 80s soundtrack fodder will enjoy cuts like “Come As You Are (Superstar)” or “Save Me”, which could’ve fit on any interchangeable movie album of that period. In fact, the group just previous cut a filler track for the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, and would only hit the Billboard pop chart again with a song from another Eddie Murphy product, Coming To America. With after-school special lyrics and watered down arrangements, the duo definitely played it “safe”, to the point of being embarrassing on the faux “streetness” of “House Of Rhythm”. Unfortunately lightning only struck once, with second single “Nighttime Lover” missing the top-100 completely, though making the top-10 R&B inexplicably, since it’s less of a soul song than its predecessor. The rest of the cuts are so forgettable that even a tacked-on instrumental version of the title track, simply called “Groove”, rates better than more than half the tunes on here. Even if in the past Murphy could slip into Michael Jackson parody, it at least was more “real” than the studio-perfect readings here. He sings in one of the songs, “I want to be your Soul Boy tonight”. I wish. Now since split, David Frank has gone to be a better influence behind the scenes, responsible for material from the neo-teen bop era (co-writing “Genie In A Bottle” for Christina Aguilera, "He Loves U Not" for Dream, and “The Hardest Part” for 98 Degrees), as well as tying the group to the yacht-rock center of the universe…..

Michael McDonald (his Blink Of An Eye album).

So I’ll give him that. Otherwise, try to find “Don’t Disturb This Groove” on a compilation or maybe this one used, since it does give you over five minutes of “Groove”…

Grade: D+
Best Cuts: “Don’t Disturb This Groove”
Weakest Cuts: “House Of Rhythm”, “Soul Boy”, “Modern Girl”

Don't Disturb This Groove hit #63 pop albums and #13 R&B albums.
"Don't Disturb This Groove" (the single) hit #4 pop and #1 R&B.
"Nighttime Lover" made #7 R&B.

Listen: Nighttime Lover (Link)

Buy: You can pick up a copy of Don't Disturb This Groove at sites like here and here.

And here's the clip of "Don't Disturb This Groove"...