It’s fitting that veteran New Orleans guitarist and singer Walter “Wolfman” Washington covers Ray Charles’ “Mary Ann” on his new CD Funk is in the House. Like the venerable Brother Ray, Washington has an immediately recognizable, deeply soulful voice and playing style that defies genre categorization. So while the title track and the instrumentals “Funkyard” and “Wolf Funk” show Washington’s affinity and mastery of Crescent City-influenced syncopation, the intertwined layers of R&B, gospel, jazz and blues also run deep.

Washington’s singing carries a devastating emotional punch, mixing the melismatic drama of Bobby “Blue” Bland with unexpected falsetto flourishes reminiscent of Solomon Burke. It works to powerful effect on “When the Answer is Clear,” a slinky and pulsing tale of heartbreak that recalls Washington’s sublime version of Bill Wither’s “Use Me” from his 1994 import CD Blue Moon Rising. The depth of his phrasing is also in full flower on Jerry Butler’s classic “I Stand Accused,” and the ballads “I’m In Love” and “Please Come Back to Me.”

The musical colorings supplied by Washington’s backing band The Roadmasters show an intuitive kinship to his approach and vision. Longtime Washington drummer Wilbert “Junkyard Dog” Arnold throws down imaginative beats, while the horn section of Tom Fitzpatrick, Larry Carter and Dave Woodard provide flowing brass charts to pump up “Trials and Tribulations” and “The Big Easy.” It’s the intricately delivered support of the Roadmasters that gives Washington’s guitar free reign. Washington’s liquid solos — which embrace the jazzy lines of Charlie Christian with the percussive bite of Johnny Guitar Watson — always seem to find hidden nooks woven throughout the Roadmasters backdrop, especially on the instrumental workouts .

The funk is definitely in Washington’s house, but it resides alongside many musical rooms. Here’s hoping the Wolfman keeps prowling these corridors for many years to come.