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MITCH
KASHMAR "WAKE UP & WORRY"
Source: Big
City Blues
Date: 11/2006
Writer: Roger &
Margaret White |
This
fresh slice of the California Blues Scene follows
Mitch Kashmar's nomination for 2006 Best New Artist
at the Blues Music Foundation Awards. Don't let
that fool you, Mitch has been on the Los Angeles
club and festival circuits since 1985. He as developed
a strong reputation as a soulful and powerful
singer and harmonica player. This second disc
on Delta Groove is a fine follow-up to his well
received 2005 release “Nickels & Dimes”.
In
this new 2006 Delta Groove release, “Wake
Up & Worry,” Mitch doesn't just sing
about those old-time blues but brings it right
into the here and now. He can go down home like
he does on “Black Dog Blues” playing
harp with a National Steel guitar, but his real
forte is his blend of California swing and classic
blues. The title track is a fine example of
real contemporary blues, with this tale of “living
on my plastic, falling in way too deep”
as many of us are today. Another stand out song
on the new CD is the slower jazzy number “I'm
Sorry,” written by Bobby Watley, who also
plays organ andis joined by John Marx on guitar,
the pleading of the chromatic harp cries for
forgiveness for all the things a bluesman could
ever be sorry for. To find out why he's sorry,
just listen to “Half Pint of Whiskey”.
It had to be a party in the studio on that session
with everyone begging for more. What harp player
can resist throwing down a couple of Little
Walter tunes? Jamming on “Up the Line”
and “Dead Presidents,” Mitch makes
them fresh and his own. Producer and label owner
Randy Chortkoff jumps into the mix with his
song “You Dogged Me,” Randy takes
the vocal and adds a second harmonica part sounding
like on old undiscovered Jimmy Reed record.
Once
again on this new CD, Mitch is working with
longtime friend and collaborator Junior Watson
on guitar and what is fast becoming the Delta
Groove House Band. They are joined by Rusty
Zinn on guitar, Fred Kaplan from the Hollywood
Blue Flames on keyboards and the rhythm section
of Richard Innes on drums and Rick Reed on bass.
They are featured on this CD with some wailing
instrumentals like “The Waddle,”
in which Junior throws down the licks and the
grooving & bumping of “Funky Dee”
which shows off Mitch as a master of the harp.
Mitch's songwriting is witty and creative and
on “Wake Up & Worry” he gives
the listener an outlet for partying their troubles
away. The cover photo doesn't show Mitch Kashmar
to his best advantage, but the recording does.
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