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Blue Tofu is equal parts steamy down tempo grooves, swirling electronica and lounge-pop hooks, blended with a sultry dash of tasty vocals and crisp lyrics. Tim Story supplies the beats, loops and keyboards, while Andrea Mathews stirs in her seductive vocals and lyrics. The duo combines compelling song writing with a unique, organic approach to texture and atmosphere, creating an intoxicating sound that Keyboard Magazine says "defies pigeonholing".
Tim Story, multi-instrumentalist, co-writer and producer of Blue Tofu, is already widely known for his innovative electro-acoustic music. Story was nominated in 1989 for a Grammy award; and in 1992, his "Beguiled" CD was nominated for a NAIRD "Best Album of the Year" Award. Story's highly-acclaimed instrumental music has consistently landed in critic's "top 10" lists in the Washington Post, Jazziz, Pulse Magazine and others.
Blue Tofu's lyricist and vocalist, Andrea Mathews brings a vivid originality to her lyrics, and a smoky after-hours jazz lounge groove to her vocals. Barely into her twenties, Mathews already has a range and edge beyond her years. Her voice, at times haunting and hushed, at others powerful and razor-sharp, is the perfect foil for Story's exotic hooks and edgy ballads.
Formed in 1996, the duo spent 4 years creating the stunning 11 song collection that became Blue Tofu. Brimming with dazzling detail and an expansive richness, the self-titled debut also features guests Louie Simon on drums, Martha Reikow on cello and Nino Russo on trumpet.
"Styles come and go, but it's not often you run into a CD that takes pop music in a genuinely fresh direction." So says Jim Aiken, a senior editor at Keyboard Magazine, in his "Spotlight Review" of Blue Tofu. "Andrea Mathews' sultry, intimate vocals tease us... and the arrangements grow like orchids". Blending elements of intelligent dance, trip-hop, and retro jazz into its slew, Blue Tofu has indeed cooked up something special.
"The music of this rather unappetizing-sounding group never fails to bring down the house at every trade show at which I play "A Battle Between" (the first cut on the CD). The inevitable question - "Who is that!" - is engendered in equal measure by the fabulous sound (this is a digital recording with exceptionally realistic vocals and astonishingly deep bass) and the unusually intelligent lyrics. The lead singer Andrea Mathew has been compared to Tori Amos and Ricki Lee Jones, but she is her own thing, as is her partner, keyboardist Tim Story." - Jonathan Valin, The Absolute Sound, July/August 2013
"They could be big... Andrea Mathews' sultry, intimate vocals tease us with hints of Tori Amos or Rickie Lee Jones, and Tim Story's keyboard - heavy backing tracks offer a few echoes of Peter Gabriel, but that's just a journalist's way of telling you what to expect. The music itself defies pigeonholing." - Keyboard, "Spotlight Review"
"Andrea Mathews' voice is sultrier and jazzier than Sarah Malachlan's, but the comparisons will still emerge as she continues to hone a style that's already impressive in its maturity and confidence. Tim Story's restrained electronic beats and instrumentation conjure strong emotion... Top Cuts: "Straw Me," "Wild Blue," "A Battle Between" - Music Connection
"Sultry, haunting, jazzy and lyrical..." - Milwaukee Star
Musicians:
Andrea Mathews, words and vocals
Tim Story, loops, samples, keyboards and noise
Louis Simon, drums
Martha Reikow, cello on 'Gabriel'
Nino Russo, trumpet on 'Spiritual'
Selections:
1. a battle between
2. limestone
3. chemical cupcake
4. wild blue
5. tricycle
6. straw men
7. gabriel
8. the woman singing
9. blue ball box
10. spiritual
11. playground
