The late, great William Clarke was a friend of mine. Though a master like Clarke can never be replaced, his death left a void that’s now being filled by Mitch Kashmar, whom Clarke once declared his favorite of the younger generation of blues harp players.

Clarke’s endorsement alone should generate interest among harp aficionados. Kashmar is a veteran West Coast singer/songwriter/harpist who delivers these seven originals and six covers with conviction and authority. His playing draws inspiration from the two Walters and Sonny Boy Williamson II, and he’s equally adept on diatonic and chromatic.

Like Clarke, his originals combine bluecollar grit and sardonic wit –“Dirty Deal” is a shuffling, Williamson-style lament; the title track is a James Harman-like thumper bemoaning “chump change”; and “New York Woman” is a jazzy stop-time stroller suggestive of Mose Allison. Kashmar lightens the mood with sly humor on the salacious shuffle “Just Show It to Me” and on his chromatic showcase “We’re Sittin’ Home Tonight,” a mix of Texas blues and swamp rock redolent of early Fabulous Thunderbirds (indeed, Kashmar’s vocals remind me of Kim Wilson’s).