No Foolin'!
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = No Foolin'!
| type = studio
| artist = Katie Webster
| cover = No Foolin'!.jpg
| alt =
| released = 1991
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Blues
| length =
| label = Alligator
| producer = Katie Webster, Bruce Iglauer, Vasti Jackson, Ice Cube Slim
| prev_title = Paula
| prev_year = 1991
| next_title = Deluxe Edition
| next_year = 1999
}}
No Foolin'! is an album by the American musician Katie Webster, released in 1991.{{cite book |last1=Krampert |first1=Peter |title=The Encyclopedia of the Harmonica |date=2016 |publisher=Mel Bay Publications, Incorporated |page=182}}{{cite web |title=Katie Webster Biography by Bill Dahl |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/katie-webster-mn0000363056 |website=AllMusic |access-date=3 January 2024}} It was her third album for Alligator Records, and her final studio album before her stroke.{{cite book |last1=Herzhaft |first1=Gerard |title=Encyclopedia of the Blues |date=1997 |publisher=University of Arkansas Press |page=143 |edition=2nd}}{{cite news |last1=Mathieson |first1=Kenny |title=Katie Webster: an appreciation |work=The Scotsman |date=30 Sep 1999 |page=19}} Webster supported the album with a North American tour.
Production
The album was produced by Webster, Bruce Iglauer, Vasti Jackson, and Ice Cube Slim. Morris Jennings played drums on the tracks.{{cite news |last1=Swift |first1=Orla |title=Katie Webster way out in front of new releases |work=Record-Journal |date=7 Feb 1992 |page=26}} Lonnie Brooks duetted with Webster on "Those Lonely, Lonely Nights".{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Dennis |title=Alligator wraps up anniversary in style |work=Star-Gazette |date=26 Dec 1991 |department=Time Out |page=8}} "Zydeco Shoes and California Blues", on which C. J. Chenier performed, references Webster's early work backing Louisiana musicians.{{cite news |title=Obituary: Katie Webster |work=The Independent |date=11 Sep 1999 |department=Obituaries |page=7}} "It's Mighty Hard" incorporates elements of gospel music; "Mama Cat Cuttin' No Slack" is a boogie-woogie number.{{cite news |last1=Margolis |first1=Dan |title=New blues albums sizzle |work=Transcript-Telegram |date=23 Jan 1992 |page=14}}{{cite news |last1=Maldonado |first1=Paul |title=2 recent blues releases exceptional |work=El Paso Herald-Post |date=6 Feb 1992 |page=11}}
Critical reception
{{music ratings
|rev1 = AllMusic
|rev1score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite web |title=No Foolin'! Review by Scott Yanow |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/no-foolin%21-mw0000270988 |website=AllMusic |access-date=3 January 2024}}
|rev2 = Calgary Herald
|rev2score = B+{{cite news |last1=Wagamese |first1=Richard |title=Recent Releases |work=Calgary Herald |date=8 Dec 1991 |page=C4}}
|rev3 = Chicago Tribune
|rev3score = {{rating|4|4}}{{cite news |last1=Kening |first1=Dan |title=Rave Recordings |work=Chicago Tribune |date=9 Jan 1992 |department=Tempo |page=6}}
|rev4 = MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide
|rev4score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite book |title=MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide |date=1998 |publisher=Visible Ink Press |page=393}}
|rev5 = The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings
|rev5score = {{rating|3|4}}{{cite book |title=The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings |date=2006 |publisher=Penguin Books |page=691}}
}}
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." 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."{{cite news |last1=Anderson |first1=John |title=New Releases |work=Newsday |date=15 Dec 1991 |department=Fanfare |page=17}} 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."
The Washington Post wrote that the album is "fueled by her pumping barrelhouse piano, saucy lyrics and sassy delivery."{{cite news |last1=Joyce |first1=Mike |title=Two Blues Artists with Upbeat Tone |work=The Washington Post |date=13 Mar 1992 |page=N14}} 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."{{cite news |last1=Charest |first1=Paul |title=OK Edmonton, 'Fasten your seatbelts'; Recharged by her grandkids, Katie Webster brings her raucous piano to town |work=Edmonton Journal |date=29 June 1992 |page=B5}} The Morning Call concluded that Webster "manages to retain her zest and vigor while becoming progressively less coarse."{{cite news |last1=Goff |first1=Paula H. |title=Records |work=The Morning Call |date=8 Feb 1992 |page=A66}} The Central New Jersey Home News Tribune listed No Foolin'! as the fifth best blues album of 1991.{{cite news |last1=Skelly |first1=Richard |title=1991 was red-letter year for blues recordings |work=Central New Jersey Home News Tribune |date=27 Dec 1991 |department=On the Go |page=4}}
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."
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing =
| title1 = A Little Meat on the Side
| length1 =
| title2 = I'm Bad
| length2 =
| title3 = No Deposit, No Return
| length3 =
| title4 = Zydeco Shoes and California Blues
| length4 =
| title5 = Too Much Sugar for a Dime
| length5 =
| title6 = Hard Lovin' Mama
| length6 =
| title7 = It's Mighty Hard
| length7 =
| title8 = Tangled in Your Web
| length8 =
| title9 = Those Lonely, Lonely Nights
| length9 =
| title10 = Mama Cat Cuttin' No Slack
| length10 =
}}