Domination indeed! (Doll Domination - The Pussycat Dolls)

Member Name: Jark

Product:	Doll Domination - The Pussycat Dolls
Date:	12/04/09 (76 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A lot of very strong songs / Great production

Disadvantages: Too much of Nicole!

The Pussycat Dolls were 2005's big new thing. "Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me?" became the cheeky catchphrase on the world's lips; everybody could relate and few could deny the sheer attraction of Nicole and her fellow dolls; Melody, Jessica, Kimberly, Ashley and, back then, Carmit. The latter has since left and the PCD brand has had a slight overhaul. Now they're more glittery corsets than street hoodies, but musically they're still about club-friendly tunes for an audience who have yet to grow old and boring. So does Doll Domination do the trick?

Things begin with lead single 'When I Grow Up', a Darkchild production with a thumping beat and, after Dont Cha, the next-most iconic chorus of their career. "When I grow up, I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star..." Nicole shrieks. As is the story with most of the album, the other dolls are nowhere to be heard, so it's a good job Ms Scherzinger's vocals are some of the best in Pop. 'Bottle Pop' features Snoop Dogg, but his contribution is largely irrelevant. Instead it's the building, buzzing beat which is so addictive here. By the end of the song everything climaxes, and although it's a comedown from the sheer energy of WIGU, it's still a fun 'getting ready for a night out' sort of romp. 'Whatcha Think About That', the third UK single, features Missy Elliot, who again gives a fairly lifeless rap and could be done without. The song is vaguely Eastern-sounding but overall lacks that special something which each of their other singles has had; the repeat listen factor.

A reasonable if not overwhelming start, then, but this is where things look up, if only for four minutes. 'I Hate This Part', the second global single, is easily amongst the Dolls' best ballads, although it's not that slow or subdued. It's the perfect winter-time song without being cheesy, and Nicole's vocals on the bridge feel exceptionally genuine. 'Takin' Over The World' is a sheer tragedy, overflowing with poor lyrics about a night in a club and suffering a truly dated beat. You'll likely remember it, but for the fact that it's one of the worst songs you'll be subjected to all year, not for its non-existant melody. Next is 'Out Of This Club', which shares a vibe with Usher's 'Love In This Club', as well as a sordid rap from producer Polow Da Don. It's light, bouncy fun and doesn't aim to be anything more. 'Who's Gonna Love You' was carried over from Nicole's unreleased solo album, which explains the shoutout she's given at the beginning - this really is an album from a one-woman group. It's a downbeat, 80s-esque synthy affair which questions a man's greedy outlook on life, managing to be both catchy and fairly serious, proving there's more to PCD than short skirts and lashings of raunch.

'Happily Never After' may seem like a hundreth re-hash of recent hit Stargate midtempos such as Beyonce's 'Irreplacable' or Rihanna's 'Take A Bow', but it's also one of the more sincere moments on the record. "This time she will stay gone, that's for sure", Nicole simmers gently as she narrates the story of a woman who's finally had it with her man's crappy treatment of her. It's a refreshing change to hear this sort of subject on a PCD record. 'Magic', a huge fan favourite, is an angry number with, again, Eastern influences, but it doesn't seem able to decide whether it wants to be one for the clubs or for the dinner parties, and so it falls uncomfortably between the two. Much better is 'Halo', one of the best Timbaland productions of recent times. It's a softly-sung midtempo in which Nicole laments the difficulties of a relationship ("I swear sometimes you are so hard on me because I'm not everything / That you want me to be"). Her vocals are complimented perfectly by the smooth, tinkly beat; it's one of the dolls' most accomplished songs to date.

'In Person', a third Timbo number, is less soothing, Nicole shrieking "I'ma hurt him when I see him!" over a retro swing beat. It's the sort of song that any one of the girls could've sung, however, so it seems a little unfair that Nicole should, once again, get to do it all. Rival producer Darkchild takes over again on the synth-pop of 'Elevator', which marks the first time that we get to hear Melody's vocals; she's given the bridge as well as the back-and-forth middle 8 with Nicole, and the variation is very welcome. The song itself is an instantly memorable one which employs the metaphor of an elevator ("We go up, we go down... like an elevator"). A slight sprinkling of vocoder and you have a fairly perfect pop song. Certainly the fact that this wasn't a single (and doesn't look likely to be) is a missed trick. 'Hush Hush' is a big ballad which aims to be epic and very nearly succeeds. Lustful strings stretch out beneath Nicole's searing vocal; the result is something which feels sad and regretful. 'Love The Way You Love Me', with a writing credit from the ever-talented Kara DioGuardi, is another synthy 80s love story, and a late highlight, on which Melody sings backing vocals and the middle 8; "I like how your t-shirt cuts you right / and how you melt me deep inside". It's warming stuff.

'Whatchamacallit' ups the ridiculous factor by a thousand percent, with a chorus so senseless (and addictive) that you'll probably find yourself tearing out hair. "Don't be askin' 'bout my man / and what he holdin' in his pants" warns Scherzinger. When she asks "Whatchamacallit?" we certainly can't answer; we just know we've been taken on a fun little escapade. The standard edition of the album is closed by 'I'm Done', a tinkling, old-school piano ballad which makes sense of the group's album-long transition from party animals to besotted lovers; "I don't wanna fall in love / Just wanna have a little fun / But then you came, and swept me up / And I'm done". It's gorgeous, and probably the group's best big ballad.

The deluxe edition isn't available in the UK, but is worth getting your hands on if you fancy hearing more of the other dolls' vocals, for it has a solo track by each on. Most fun is Jessica's 'If I Was A Man', a swooshing ride through space with some pleasingly nonsensical man-bash lyrics. Melody gives a now-ex some 'Space' on a cutesy R&B ballad, whilst 'Played' sees Ashley desire a caring lover whilst riding a slow-jam beat. Only Kimberly's vocals are distorted; her cover of Jane Child's 'Don't Wanna Fall In Love' doesn't give us much idea of her vocal prowess, but it's still a bag of fun. Nicole's solo effort, as if she needed another, is the Diane Warren-written 'Until U Love U', which is as grand as you'd expect given the credentials. What's slightly surprising is that all of the solo numbers are modern productions and genuinely good songs; hopefully next time each Doll will get some limelight on the main tracklist, because they can all carry a tune with ease.

There are bonus tracks aplenty too, in various regions. 'Lights, Camera, Action' with New Kids On The Block is fairly forgettable (and lord knows, you'll want to) but the JR Rotem remix of Nicole's solo single 'Baby Love' adds a chirpier vibe than the original had, and their (brief) cover of the classic 'Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps' is a lot of fun.

So that's twenty-four songs covered - from one album! There can't be anymore, right? Well, there are... the re-issue of the record, aptly titled Doll Domination 2.0, is released globally in April '09 and features four new songs. 'Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)' is an adaptation of the AR Rahman score from the smash hit movie Slumdog Millionaire, and has already torn up the charts. The melody of the original is retained, Nicole adding her silky vocals over the top. It's a genuinely creative affair and well-deserving of its success. Also new is 'Hush Hush 2.0', which dancifies the original, losing all of the beauty along the way, and mashes in a sample of the disco classic 'I Will Survive', as performed on their world tour. It's certainly an interesting idea but it doesn't work, winding up sounding too novelty for its own good.

Thankfully we also get 'Painted Windows', a Darkchild song which was, for some inexplicable reason, left off the original release. Melody gets her fair proportion of the vocals here, she and Nicole riding a heavy, buzzing club beat. The chorus is deliciously catchy; this is definite smash hit material. The fourth newie, thankfully left off the UK version, is 'Top Of The World', the themetune to US show The City. The song is a shameless re-hash of When I Grow Up which deserves a proper shunning!

And that's that. Twenty-eight songs, one primary vocalist. Doll Domination definitely does what it says on the tin; whether the other dolls mind being sidelined, we may never know, but what matters is that nearly all of the songs here are great. Catchy, well-produced and fronted by a truly capable vocalist. Nobody borders the pop/R&B divide quite like these girls.

Summary: Not flawless - just an awful lot of fun.