MITCH KASHMAR "WAKE UP & WORRY" Source: Blues News Date: 09/2006 Writer: Klaus Kilian

His first CD for Delta Groove was one of the big surprises last year, and his second one is at least as good, if not even better. Kashmar has the West Coast Retro Sound down pat, has excellent people behind him (a. o. Junior Watson and Rusty Zinn on guitar), he writes interesting songs and his harp playing has that certain something special. When he covers Little Walter, he does it with respect and capability, and on his own compositions he plays at the same time rooted in the tradition and virtuosic - however, with a virtuosity that is not expressed by faster-higher-longer runs, but with a deceptive relaxed subtleness that only reveals on second hearing how tricky the licks really are that you just heard. Kashmar also impresses with his chromatic harmonica playing, which is a combination of classic sound and jazzy phrasing. This is definitely one for the top-5 lists of the year.