Album review: Pussycat dolls - Doll domination

The pussy dolls (a typo that I'm not correcting) are back to supposedly dominate with their second studio album. It still eludes me how main pussy Nicole Scherzinger failed to take off with her solo career, when she pretty much is the Pussycat dolls, left, right, centre and back. But anywho... She's back with her 4 background bitches for round two.

Doll domination pretty much takes the PCD formula and just runs with it. The difference with this album is that whilst there are several contenders for singles, none are as obvious as those on PCD. When you listened to PCD you knew the likes of "Beep", "Buttons", "Wait a minute" and "I don't need a man" would become singles because they were such obvious choices. Where as on Doll domination it's difficult to call, because whilst most of the songs sound good, nothing in particular hits you as being an obvious choice for a future single.

The uptempos for the most part are all decent affairs. "Bottle pop" is cheesy, but catchy and will get you moving, although Snoop Dogg's verse feels unnecessary. "Magic" bangs real nice and is the only song on the album I feel could probably work as a single, due to its proximity in sound and vibe to "Buttons". "In person" is another decent track, working a very similar vibe to "Wait a minute" with its throwback percussive and brass heavy sound. It has a likeable charm that you can't help but bubble to, although Nicole's voice does get annoying after a while. "Elevator" is a hot club banger which is very reminiscent of Janet Jackson's "LUV". "Whatchamacallit" is a fun song, but it feels odd stuck at the end of the album. Also the sound and the lyrics are hardly original. I mean, how many of these Arabian-tinged songs about shoes that match hats and buying out stores have chicks dropped over the past few years? An okay song, but one which is too easy to skip.

The pussycat dolls should've focused on the uptempo numbers, as it's what they're known for. Plus it gives the background bitches a chance to hold their legs up in the videos. But a good chunk of the album consists of dreary midtempo's and slow songs. "Out of the club" is garbage, but it'll probably end up being a single. The song is dusty and just doesn't go anywhere. It doesn't make me wanna lean or snap fingers. It makes me want to sit down. R. Smells had no business being on the track neither. "Happily never after" sounds like an "Irreplaceable" rip off. "Halo" is Timbo recycled garbage. How many times is he gonna recycle Bubba Sparxxx's "Deliverance"!? He used the style for Justin's "What goes around, comes around", then recycled that for Rihanna's "Rehab", and then recycled that for Madonna's "Devil wouldn't recognize you" and now we get Pussycat dolls "Halo". It's ridiculous.

"Hush hush" is okay, but Nicole's voice grates. Her voice just isn't as smooth here as the song called for. The likes of Beyoncé or Kelly Rowland would've done wonders with this song, but Nicole just runs it into the ground. "I'm done" is some overly egged bullshit. The slow songs are all whack and throw the bounce of the album off. Pussycat dolls should be all about the dancing and no holds barred radio friendly pop with an urban twist. Not sappy slow, midtempo crap with what I'm sure the songwriters thought were meaningful lyrics.

Doll domination is a boring album. I've never thought much of the Pussycat dolls, but even I expected a better album than this. Doll domination feels like it's on auto pilot from the first track to the last. There's nothing as sassy and in your face as "Don'cha". Nothing that's so stupidly silly and funky that you can't help but love it like "Beep". Nothing as sickly sweet as "Stickwithcu". Nothing as slick, hot, retro and lovably camp as "I don't need a man". And this is the problem. Nothing sticks out because everything bleeds into a samey sound of mediocrity. The songs which are good don't stand out as well as they should because they're sandwiched between songs which sound too similar.

It's also becoming more and more of a joke that this group is even able to still keep going. It's glaringly obvious that the other girls don't do anything. You may as well call this Nicole Scherzinger's solo album, because half of it she probably recorded for her shelved album anyway. This album will of course sell shit loads of copies and spawn 13 singles just like PCD did. Cementing that as long as you can look fine in your videos and have a record label willing to invest shit loads in you, that anything can become a success.

RATING: 3 / 10

Album highlights:
■ Bottle pop
■ Magic ★ J's fave
■ In person
■ Elevator
■ Whatchamacallit