No Foolin'!
Studio album by
Katie Webster
Released1991
GenreBlues
LabelAlligator
ProducerKatie Webster, Bruce Iglauer, Vasti Jackson, Ice Cube Slim
Katie Webster chronology
Paula
(1991)		 No Foolin'!
(1991)		 Deluxe Edition
(1999)

No Foolin'! is an album by the American musician Katie Webster, released in 1991.[1][2] It was her third album for Alligator Records, and her final studio album before her stroke.[3][4] Webster supported the album with a North American tour.[5]

Production

The album was produced by Webster, Bruce Iglauer, Vasti Jackson, and Ice Cube Slim.[6] Morris Jennings played drums on the tracks.[7] Lonnie Brooks duetted with Webster on "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights".[8] "Zydeco Shoes and California Blues", on which C. J. Chenier performed, references Webster's early work backing Louisiana musicians.[9] "It's Mighty Hard" incorporates elements of gospel music; "Mama Cat Cuttin' No Slack" is a boogie-woogie number.[10][11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Calgary HeraldB+[13]
Chicago Tribune[14]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide[6]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings[15]

The Calgary Herald called the album "a strut through downtown Saturday night when the fur is threatening to fly in all the juke joints and mellow is better left to the jazz crowd."[13] Newsday noted that "she sounds tired... Even the opening cut, 'A Little Meat on the Side', which structurally and thematically is right up Webster's alley, seems lackluster."[16] The Chicago Tribune deemed No Foolin'! "one of the finest blues albums you'll ever hear," writing that "Webster takes you on a musical journey celebrating the music she has been playing most of her life."[14]

The Washington Post wrote that the album is "fueled by her pumping barrelhouse piano, saucy lyrics and sassy delivery."[5] The Edmonton Journal determined that it shows "Webster's strength as an independent woman who takes macho blues cliches and inverts them on their head."[17] The Morning Call concluded that Webster "manages to retain her zest and vigor while becoming progressively less coarse."[18] The Central New Jersey Home News Tribune listed No Foolin'! as the fifth best blues album of 1991.[19]

AllMusic wrote that, "although she also contributes some atmospheric chordal organ, it is Katie Webster's piano playing that gives her music its most distinctive personality."[12]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."A Little Meat on the Side" 
2."I'm Bad" 
3."No Deposit, No Return" 
4."Zydeco Shoes and California Blues" 
5."Too Much Sugar for a Dime" 
6."Hard Lovin' Mama" 
7."It's Mighty Hard" 
8."Tangled in Your Web" 
9."Those Lonely, Lonely Nights" 
10."Mama Cat Cuttin' No Slack" 

References

  1. ↑ Krampert, Peter (2016). The Encyclopedia of the Harmonica. Mel Bay Publications, Incorporated. p. 182.
  2. ↑ "Katie Webster Biography by Bill Dahl". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  3. ↑ Herzhaft, Gerard (1997). Encyclopedia of the Blues (2nd ed.). University of Arkansas Press. p. 143.
  4. ↑ Mathieson, Kenny (30 Sep 1999). "Katie Webster: an appreciation". The Scotsman. p. 19.
  5. 1 2 Joyce, Mike (13 Mar 1992). "Two Blues Artists with Upbeat Tone". The Washington Post. p. N14.
  6. 1 2 MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 393.
  7. ↑ Swift, Orla (7 Feb 1992). "Katie Webster way out in front of new releases". Record-Journal. p. 26.
  8. ↑ Miller, Dennis (26 Dec 1991). "Alligator wraps up anniversary in style". Time Out. Star-Gazette. p. 8.
  9. ↑ "Obituary: Katie Webster". Obituaries. The Independent. 11 Sep 1999. p. 7.
  10. ↑ Margolis, Dan (23 Jan 1992). "New blues albums sizzle". Transcript-Telegram. p. 14.
  11. ↑ Maldonado, Paul (6 Feb 1992). "2 recent blues releases exceptional". El Paso Herald-Post. p. 11.
  12. 1 2 "No Foolin'! Review by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  13. 1 2 Wagamese, Richard (8 Dec 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C4.
  14. 1 2 Kening, Dan (9 Jan 1992). "Rave Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 6.
  15. ↑ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 691.
  16. ↑ Anderson, John (15 Dec 1991). "New Releases". Fanfare. Newsday. p. 17.
  17. ↑ Charest, Paul (29 June 1992). "OK Edmonton, 'Fasten your seatbelts'; Recharged by her grandkids, Katie Webster brings her raucous piano to town". Edmonton Journal. p. B5.
  18. ↑ Goff, Paula H. (8 Feb 1992). "Records". The Morning Call. p. A66.
  19. ↑ Skelly, Richard (27 Dec 1991). "1991 was red-letter year for blues recordings". On the Go. Central New Jersey Home News Tribune. p. 4.
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