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Greg Page is billed as "the original yellow Wiggle", the Wiggles being a popular troupe of Kids entertainers and singers in Australia and Greg having been one of the founding members. I'm not the biggest fan of Kids music, but I can't dis the Wiggles since they're the only ones who pulled off getting a Christmas song from John Fogerty. So...mad props, dudes.
In 2006, Greg was forced to leave the group after being diagnosed with orthostatic intolerance, a form of dysautonomia. Essentially, this is a disease that attacks the portion of the nervous system that controls certain functions automatically. For example, you don't have to think about breathing; your body does that on its own. You don't have to will yourself to sweat; the body knows when it needs to do that. Of course, Greg wasn't about to stop doing all the things he enjoys doing, just because the illness made being on the road problematic. And one of the things Greg has loved doing is entertaining children with music. He landed in "Butterscotch's Playgroud" where, as he did with the Wiggles, Greg continues teaching and entertaining children. He'd done some solo work even while with the Wiggles and, in 2012, he released "Let It Be Me", an album of Pop Country covers of well known songs.
This year, Greg is releasing "Here Comes Christmas!" and, while its ostensibly a Kids album, the music is full and rich and ought to be enjoyable for kids of all ages. He's not taking too many liberties with the arrangements--the simple straight forward delivery should appeal to the younger set--but his warm vocals and the instrumentation (albeit some of it electronically created) are what you might find on a classic crooner disc from the late 50s or early 60s (and that should appeal to kids in their 30s and up). "Let It Snow" is among the best of the standards, here. "Jingle Bell Rock" rocks appropriately. And "12 Days of Christmas" has an all new set of gifts. The song getting the biggest makeover is "I Saw Three Ships" in which we get street corner Doo Wop (complete with a falsetto opening) instead of a sleepy old folk song (smart move). If you've got some little ones, its a really nice record for the family to enjoy together (or for Junior to enjoy on his own). For you....highly recommended.
For those of us without kids (and who don't much care for Kids music)....what's in it for us? We're usually a bit more adventurous at Stubbys. Well, for me, anyway, I think the trio of originals at the top of the album are tremendous. They're solid Pop Christmas songs. Do you know how hard it is to find "solid Pop Christmas songs"? Well, it ain't easy. Admittedly, I was a Bubblegum child, and I'd probably tag at least two of the three as Bubblegum Pop. But the thing is, Bubblegum Pop is a good thing. All that means is the songs have energy, catchy melodies and great hooks. If these songs were on a Partridge Family, Cowsills, Archies or Street People Christmas record, you wouldn't think twice about loving them.
The title track, "Here Comes Christmas", leans the closest to classic Pop Rock and has the most "adult" feel of any song on the album (not that the kids won't like it). "Christmas Bells" is not just a good Pop song, it's a perfect Pop song. That'll definitely be in heavy rotation at my house this year. "It's Christmas" gets a touch of a Caribbean flavor but, overall, sounds like a vintage Neil Diamond song to me (heck, it sounds more like a Neil Diamond song than a lot of Neil Diamond songs). There are also some "Bonus Tracks" which I gather are songs from Butterscotch's Playground (or, at least, are children's songs) and, hey, those are pretty good, too.
"Here Comes Christmas!" by Greg Page (the original Yellow Wiggle) will officially be released on November 24 and you should then be able to find it on iTunes and at CD Baby. BUT, if you order from Greg by the 23rd, you'll get your download immediately AND you'll save money--26 tracks for $8.99. Sounds like a deal. Oh, and by the way, you'll also find song samples at Greg's site, so check them out.
In 2006, Greg was forced to leave the group after being diagnosed with orthostatic intolerance, a form of dysautonomia. Essentially, this is a disease that attacks the portion of the nervous system that controls certain functions automatically. For example, you don't have to think about breathing; your body does that on its own. You don't have to will yourself to sweat; the body knows when it needs to do that. Of course, Greg wasn't about to stop doing all the things he enjoys doing, just because the illness made being on the road problematic. And one of the things Greg has loved doing is entertaining children with music. He landed in "Butterscotch's Playgroud" where, as he did with the Wiggles, Greg continues teaching and entertaining children. He'd done some solo work even while with the Wiggles and, in 2012, he released "Let It Be Me", an album of Pop Country covers of well known songs.
This year, Greg is releasing "Here Comes Christmas!" and, while its ostensibly a Kids album, the music is full and rich and ought to be enjoyable for kids of all ages. He's not taking too many liberties with the arrangements--the simple straight forward delivery should appeal to the younger set--but his warm vocals and the instrumentation (albeit some of it electronically created) are what you might find on a classic crooner disc from the late 50s or early 60s (and that should appeal to kids in their 30s and up). "Let It Snow" is among the best of the standards, here. "Jingle Bell Rock" rocks appropriately. And "12 Days of Christmas" has an all new set of gifts. The song getting the biggest makeover is "I Saw Three Ships" in which we get street corner Doo Wop (complete with a falsetto opening) instead of a sleepy old folk song (smart move). If you've got some little ones, its a really nice record for the family to enjoy together (or for Junior to enjoy on his own). For you....highly recommended.
For those of us without kids (and who don't much care for Kids music)....what's in it for us? We're usually a bit more adventurous at Stubbys. Well, for me, anyway, I think the trio of originals at the top of the album are tremendous. They're solid Pop Christmas songs. Do you know how hard it is to find "solid Pop Christmas songs"? Well, it ain't easy. Admittedly, I was a Bubblegum child, and I'd probably tag at least two of the three as Bubblegum Pop. But the thing is, Bubblegum Pop is a good thing. All that means is the songs have energy, catchy melodies and great hooks. If these songs were on a Partridge Family, Cowsills, Archies or Street People Christmas record, you wouldn't think twice about loving them.
The title track, "Here Comes Christmas", leans the closest to classic Pop Rock and has the most "adult" feel of any song on the album (not that the kids won't like it). "Christmas Bells" is not just a good Pop song, it's a perfect Pop song. That'll definitely be in heavy rotation at my house this year. "It's Christmas" gets a touch of a Caribbean flavor but, overall, sounds like a vintage Neil Diamond song to me (heck, it sounds more like a Neil Diamond song than a lot of Neil Diamond songs). There are also some "Bonus Tracks" which I gather are songs from Butterscotch's Playground (or, at least, are children's songs) and, hey, those are pretty good, too.
"Here Comes Christmas!" by Greg Page (the original Yellow Wiggle) will officially be released on November 24 and you should then be able to find it on iTunes and at CD Baby. BUT, if you order from Greg by the 23rd, you'll get your download immediately AND you'll save money--26 tracks for $8.99. Sounds like a deal. Oh, and by the way, you'll also find song samples at Greg's site, so check them out.
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