Two-Fisted Mama!

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Two-Fisted Mama!
Two-Fisted Mama!.jpg
Studio album by
Katie Webster
Released1989
StudioStreeterville
Genre Blues
Label Alligator [1]
Producer Katie Webster, Bruce Iglauer, Vasti Jackson, Ice Cube Slim
Katie Webster chronology
The Swamp Boogie Queen
(1988)		Two-Fisted Mama!
(1989)		No Foolin'!
(1991)

Two-Fisted Mama! is an album by the American musician Katie Webster, released in 1989. [2] [3] Webster promoted the album with a North American tour. [4] The album was nominated for a Bammy Award, in the "Blues Album" category. [5]

Contents

Production

The album was produced by Webster, Bruce Iglauer, Vasti Jackson, and Ice Cube Slim. [6] The Memphis Horns guested on Two-Fisted Mama! [7] Webster wrote or cowrote six of the album's songs; "So Far Away" is a cover of the Dire Straits song. [7] [8] "Red Negligee" is done in a talking blues style. [9] Many songs address women listeners by providing relationship advice. [10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Robert Christgau B+ [13]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]

Robert Christgau wrote: "Boogie as in woogie, not as in bar band, is her gift—a rolling piano style she certainly didn't invent and just as certainly owns—and here the experts get it down." [13] Newsday noted that, "like most great blues artists, she uses the irregular, the unexpected, to make musical points; where others might use a melisma, she sings the phrase straight and sweet; she purrs where others would growl, and vice versa." [8]

The Chicago Tribune wrote that Webster delivers "some comic relief with sharp and funny tales of the war between the sexes." [12] The Edmonton Journal called Two-Fisted Mama! "one of the most rewarding blues albums of the year," writing that "Webster is a superb, soulful singer and an immense piano player." [9] The Syracuse Herald-Journal praised Webster's "bawdy, quick-paced style." [16]

AllMusic deemed the album "another impressive showcase for Katie Webster's rollicking 88s and earthy vocals." [11]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Two-Fisted Mama" 
2."Stood Up Again" 
3."Red Negligee" 
4."C.Q. Boogie" 
5."Never Let Me Go" 
6."Love Deluxe" 
7."Pussycat Moan" 
8."Money Honey or Honey Hush" 
9."I'm Still Leaving" 
10."The Katie Lee" 
11."So Far Away" 

References

  1. ↑ "Webster keys into boogie-woogie fans". USA Today. January 22, 1990. p. 4D.
  2. ↑ Brennan, Brian (November 30, 1989). "Katie Webster: Two-Fisted Mama". Calgary Herald. p. F3.
  3. ↑ "Katie Webster Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  4. ↑ Blackstock, Peter (January 4, 1991). "On the town". Austin American-Statesman. p. A10.
  5. ↑ "Grateful Dead in Running for 5 Bammies". San Francisco Chronicle. December 1, 1989. p. E11.
  6. 1 2 MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 393.
  7. 1 2 Paul, Alan (December 1, 1989). "Last year's Swamp Boogie Queen...". Weekend. St. Petersburg Times. p. 17.
  8. 1 2 Anderson, John (October 29, 1989). "'Two-Fisted Mama!' Katie Webster". Part II. Newsday. p. 19.
  9. 1 2 Campbell, Rod (April 1, 1990). "Disc boosts blues artist's claim to stardom". Edmonton Journal. p. E4.
  10. ↑ Narváez, Peter (Autumn 1991). "Sound Recording Reviews". The Journal of American Folklore. 104 (414): 513.
  11. 1 2 "Katie Webster Two-Fisted Mama!". AllMusic.
  12. 1 2 Heim, Chris (December 21, 1989). "Katie Webster Two-Fisted Mama!". Chicago Tribune. p. 15E.
  13. 1 2 "Katie Webster". Robert Christgau.
  14. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 565.
  15. ↑ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books Ltd. 2006. p. 691.
  16. ↑ Bourke, Brian G. (April 6, 1990). "Swamp blues piano queen". Syracuse Herald-Journal. p. C4.
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