Dolls dominate dance, demolish emotions

To the delight of many guys and the chagrin of an equal number of women, the Pussycat Dolls can be quite distracting. With the underwear as outerwear and the habit of raising their legs way beyond what is human, it’s hard not get tangled in the fishnet stockings.

But obviously somebody listened to the music, because their 2006 album PCD was a major commercial success, which is pretty impressive for girls with no tangible joints.

On Doll Domination, the girls experiment with futuristic clubby beats and the Auto Tune voice machine blended with their usual “girl’s night out” feel. It is not a complete step away from songs like “Don’t Cha” or “Buttons,” but it is evident that they have made an effort to be different.

Fast-paced club songs are what’s to be expected of the burlesque girl group, and most here are no different. Songs like “Whatcha Think About That” featuring Missy Elliot, the first single “When I Grow Up” and “Bottle Pop” featuring Snoop Dogg are guaranteed to be club hits that should translate well to radio.
 
However, when the Dolls attempt to show emotion on slower ballads, they are barely tolerable. It’s a mystery whether it is lead singer Nicole Scherzinger’s bold voice trying to sound soft or the struggle with lyrics that don’t have a double meaning, but each slow song is uncomfortable to listen to.

Hit-maker Ne-Yo tries to help out the group on “Happily Never After,” and if the title doesn’t already cause a bit of nausea, the song itself will. It sounds like a rip-off of Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable” (that Ne-Yo also penned) and it would have belonged at a prom in 1997.

Overall, even with a few slow songs that could turnsome stomachs, the dance hits on Doll Domination should keep this record afloat and the Pussycat Dolls’ stilettos heels over their heads, at least for another year.