PS ALBUM REVIEW: Danity Kane's "Welcome To The Dollhouse"

From Left To Right: Shannon, Andrea, D Woods, Dawn, Aubrey

Not since En Vogue has the industry seen a girl group with equally talented members and equal shine. While they are years behind the talent of En Vogue, these girls present En Vogue's pop version. Unlike their RnB counterparts, DK is a manufactured group with buzz only around the MTV crowd.

This may be why despite their #1 platnum selling debut album, the industry has not taken notice. "Welcome to the Doll House" (WDH) is suppose to be the album that will give them the buzz to overshadow the fact that they were created on a reality show. It is suppose to show that their talent overrides the circumstances of how they came together. Did it do that? The answer is no.

• THE GOOD:

The first single "Damaged" (video seen here) is fiyah, with a catchy hook, hard knock beats, and relatable lyrics, it sets WHD up to be a crossover pop album that will make some noise this year. Other album highlights come from the mid and up tempos. The Missy produced "Bad Girl" seem perfect for DK. Missy lays an impressive verse as well. Brian Michael Cox's "Sucka for Love" stands out as one of the best tracks on the album. Dawn writes "Lights Out" which is pretty descent. Despite these attempts, the filler up tempos and boring ballads really hurt WHD.

• THE BAD:

The ballads on WHD carry on with high pitch screams and ad libs that go on forever (perhaps the downside of a 5 member band with no lead). "Ectasy" with Rick Ross starts wonderfully with a great verse from the hip hopper, then 4 of the girls sing and sound like one person for the rest of the song. With the exception of Dawn, none of the voices are distinct or have any swagger to carry what could otherwise be potential hits. As a result, the songs seem to blend together and become one big bore.

Lets not forget the fillers. Up tempos like "Pretty Boy" and "Strip tease" should not exist on this album. They were completely useless and forgotten soon after hearing. "2 of You" and "Key to my Heart bring nothing to the album either.

• OVERALL

For these reasons, the album did not accomplish the mission of making DK more relevant or impress a wider audience this year than they did with thier first album. It will likely debut at #1 and die off shortly before it goes platnum.
As a group, if they manage to stay together, they certainly have potential. An upgrade from the Pussycatdolls, but leap years away from an En Vogue. They will have to carve a stronger attempt and not be so obviously focused on making fluffy pop sounds for the masses. They need to understand that pop music can last only if created in a quest to make good music, not just to make a catchy tune. We still look forward to seeing what DK has in store for the future.

• Grade: B-