Various Artists

Rewiggled: A Tribute To The Wiggles

Written by: DR on 29/08/2012 15:58:05

Originally formed in 1991 in Sydney, Australia, children's music entertainers, The Wiggles, are still going strong after over twenty years as a group. Along the way this children's entertainment group have earned seventeen gold, twelve platinum, three double-platinum and ten multi-platinum awards for sales, selling seventeen million DVDs and four million CDs. This album, "Rewiggled", is a tribute to them comprised of various Australian bands.

The twist with "Rewiggled", however, is that the various cover songs - of which there are twenty - have been given an edge attributed to the band performing the cover. Some of these acts you may have heard of, some probably not, but the strength of this album is that, while The Wiggles' song-writing comes through making it undeniably fun to listen to, each band's own style strongly influences their song, allowing you to distinguish between covers, and even see through them into the covering band's own sound.

From folky singer-songwriters, to punk bands, to indie and just straight-forward radio rock, there an abundance of styles on display. As you go through the songs, which are all relatively short, and eventually progress through the bands, the contrasting styles don't even clash. Instead, they only serve to highlight each other. Particular highlights are the ska-punk opening "Hot Potato" by The Living End which is so infectious it could be something out of Less Than Jake's back catalogue of covers, whereas the melodies of stripped down "I Love It When It Rains" by Sarah Blasko and "Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car" by Oh Mercy are so assured they could be released as singles in their own right.

Because this is a release not to be taken too seriously, you have ridiculous amounts of fun listening to it. There is the occasional misfire, such as Adalita's version of "Get Ready To Wiggle" and "Our Boat is Rocking on the Sea" by Angie Hart, which are too slow, static and lifeless at the centre of what is mostly to be an upbeat album. But mostly, "Rewiggled" is a release that would definitely put a smile on your face regardless of what mood you were in before you put it on, which I guess is a fitting tribute, because isn't that what The Wiggles wanted to do in the first place?

7

Download: Hot Potato; I Love It When It Rains; Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car
For The Fans of: The Wiggles
Listen: Facebook

Release Date 04.11.2011
Broadcasting Corporation

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