| UFO Tofu | |
| Type: | Album |
| Artist: | Béla Fleck and the Flecktones |
| Cover: | UFO Tofu (Béla Fleck and the Flecktones album - cover art).jpg |
| Released: | 1992 |
| Recorded: | 1992, Javelina & Soundstage Studios |
| Genre: | Jazz fusion |
| Length: | 55:01 |
| Label: | Warner Bros.[1] |
| Producer: | Béla Fleck, Roy Wooten, Howard Levy, Victor Wooten |
| Prev Title: | Flight of the Cosmic Hippo |
| Prev Year: | 1991 |
| Next Title: | Three Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest |
| Next Year: | 1993 |
UFO Tofu is the third album by Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, released in 1992.[2] [3] The title is a palindrome, which is also a musical theme in the title track; the idea originated with the musician Baby Gramps.[4] [5]
The album was produced by Fleck, Roy Wooten, Howard Levy, and Victor Wooten.[6] "Bonnie & Slyde" is a tribute to Bonnie Raitt and her slide guitar mastery.[7] "Sex in a Pan" was inspired by a dessert offered at a restaurant in North Carolina.[8]
The Indianapolis Star deemed the album "a savory blend of jazz, country and world beat—with a generous dollop of funk, just for fun." The Morning Call stated that it "blends the Flecktones' high-tech electronics with Fleck's lyrical, often melodic playing."[9]
In his AllMusic review, music critic Thom Owens wrote of the album: "Though the Flecktones didn't change their formula with their third album, UFO Tofu, they did manage to craft one of their more consistent and impressive efforts... Occasionally, the material is lightweight, functioning only as vehicle for the group's solos. Then again, the whole point of Fleck's music is the solos, so that shouldn't upset his fans too much. Of course, it doesn't help him win new ones, either."
All songs by Béla Fleck unless otherwise noted.