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If you have no rug-rats scrambling around your home (and know of no gift-worthy tikes), then you can stop reading now. This holiday release is not for you. Wake Up It's Christmas is geared for the young in age, although it might possibly reach the occasional adult who qualifies as young at heart.

I listen to loads of holiday music each year, and very little of it is kid-centric. I have children, but even as young tikes, mine rarely clamored for the artists who catered to the youngest audiences. Oh, we had a Raffi album or two, but that was about it, and that was probably our fault. Even as a preschooler, our son Derek was a Rolling Stoner, quoting Mick Jagger to his daycare provider. Go figure.

Peter Combe is no Mick Jagger, but he is the multiple award-winning matinee idol of Australian kiddies. He has an extraordinary track record, and Wake Up It's Christmas is his second holiday release. He has composed all but two of the tracks, and his song-writing skills are undeniably impressive. This is a finely-crafted, well-executed album that is fun, funny, and entertaining, particularly for newly-minted humans of every stripe.

Combe is a remarkable talent, writing the songs, doing numerous character voices, playing the acoustic guitar, and singing with zeal. My favorite tracks include So Far Away, a ballad praising universal themes of peace, hope, and love, and Miracle, a doo-wop number worthy of Elvis.

My children now stand on the threshold of adulthood, hovering in that twilight world between crazy adolescence and the serious responsibilities of independence. They are not the audience for Wake Up It's Christmas, but perhaps they will have their own children down the road, and those kids will clamor for the high-quality fun that Peter Combe effortlessly delivers. The Australian flavors here only enrich the experience; all kids will understand and enjoy the entertaining stories that Combe tells. If you need something special for the young'uns in your life, give this Aussie serious consideration.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2009)

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From the liner notes:

All songs except "Wassail" and "Good King Wenceslas" composed by Peter Combe.
All songs arranged by Peter Combe
Lead Vocals/Character Voices: Peter Combe

Musicians:
Phil Cunneen: Keyboards
Stuart Day: Acoustic & Electric Guitar
Steve Fleming: Electric Bass & Violin
Steve Todd: Drums & Percussion
Peter Combe: Acoustic Guitar
Ruby Frost Quartet ("No Room" and "Reflections")
Lesley Lewis: Keyboards ("Wassail")
Amelia Monaghan: Recorder ("Wassail")
Allye Sinclair: Cello ("Wassail")
Tim Kersten: Guitar ("Wassail")

Guest Soloists:
Kathie Renner
Karen Gully
Emily Biggs
Victoria Loxton, Emily Ravenscroft & Georgia Humphreys

Harmonies: Alice Combe, Emily Combe & Beth Christian
Extra Vocals: Choir from Linden Park Primary School
String Arrangements for "No Room" and "Reflections": Belinda Gehlert

Recorded at The Cheese Factory in Adelaide (July-September 2005)


From the Website:

Peter Combe is the original "King of the Kids" in Australian Childrens Music. His timeless songs have been entertaining children for over 20 years.

Much loved classics such as Spaghetti Bolognaise, Newspaper Mama, Wash Your Face in Orange Juice and Juicy Juicy Green Grass have earnt him 3 ARIAS, 7 Gold and 2 Platinum Albums.

With his recent successes performing sell out shows to 20-odd year olds who still love the songs they grew up with, Peter's music is living on and being passed to the next generation.

Peter Combe

Wake Up It's Christmas

Artist link

Track List