Luico Hopper - Lessons Of Light (1995)

Despite a few flaws here and there, Luico Hopper's debut album, Lessons of Light, indicated that he had potential as both an electric bassist and a composer. Combining jazz with R&B, pop and hip-hop, the New Jersey resident sounds like he was trying to balance commercial and artistic considerations and tends to do too much producing at times. To be sure, he could have used technology more sparingly. But the attractive nature of his sound (which is along the lines of Marcus Miller and Stanley Clarke) comes through, and Hopper's talents as a composer are evident on likable originals ranging from the mysterious "Take a Look Inside" and the funky "Tight Groove" to the optimistic, slightly Pat Metheny-ish "Mystic Night." Not outstanding but certainly decent, this CD made listeners want to keep a close eye on Hopper and see how he would develop.~Lessons of Light Review by Alex Henderson