It's that time of year again. If you're a parent, Christmas seems to come around so quickly each year, usually with a shock of panic as we realise that there are only so many “shopping days” left. All of the big children's stars are getting into the act, releasing their own Christmas CDs and videos, and The Wiggles are no exception. Santa's Rockin! isn't The Wiggles first CD album, but as with their last one, Yule Be Wiggling, the boys in skivvies (must be hot this time of year) manage to stamp their music with the unique Wiggles combination of distinctive and decidedly international music, corny jokes, famous guests, and bits of information targeted to preschoolers. What is nice about this CD is that most of the songs are Wiggles' originals, and guests like John Fogarty, Barry Williams (Greg from The Brady Bunch), and Wiggles' mainstay Ross Wilson (from King Mondo) lend a nice bit of sparkle and freshness to the familiar Wiggles' sound. The guested songs are well matched to the guest singers, and there is a nice blend of danceable and fast tunes versus slow, thoughtful ones. As is usual with The Wiggles, the CD contains songs from around the world, prefaced with information, such as Noche De Paz, a Spanish version of Silent Night which features regular guest singer Fernando Moguel (though without his adorable son this time), the American rock and roll inspired Rockin' Santa, and the Italian Christmas Barcarole with guest singer Sam Moran. Favourite characters, Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog, Dorothy the Dinosaur, and Henry the Octopus all get songs of their own.

There are also a few traditional songs such as Away in a Manger, and O Come All Ye Faithful, and while The Wiggles have resisted the urge to doctor the lyrics with cute Wiggly stuff, they have added their own signature sound with cute introductions, soft harmonies, original guitar tracks, lots of horn between the singing, and a slight Spanish feel. Children who love The Wiggles will love this CD, which is about as Wiggly as it gets. This isn't going to replace your annual Christmas Carols, but it is nice for children to be to enjoy a series of new, and mostly original Christmas tunes with the very familiar flavour of their favourite singers: to have their own songs to mark the season with.

The single from the CD, “Rockin' Santa,” which features John Fogarty, has also been released as a $5.00 CD single and all profits go to the St Vincent de Paul Society's Christmas Appeal.

Santa's Rockin'!
The Wiggles
ABC Music
Oct 2004, A$22.99

This review first appeared at < a href=http://www.preschoolentertainment.com/html/index.php>Preschool Entertainment. It appears here with permission.

Santa's Rockin is also avialable on Video ($14.95 rrp) and DVD ($19.95 rrp).

More Christmas Offerings

Christmas Stories for Kids (Audiobbok)
Traditional Christmas Carols
Big, Big Christmas Album