The Pussycat Dolls are the latest men’s mag favourites – cover stars for sad lads. Coming on like younger siblings of those Desperate Houswives, Interscope executives are no doubt banking on the old maxim: sex sells. And the beauty of a CD? It offers a wipe-clean surface.

Yet the six Dolls, Nicole, the lead, Carmit, Melody, Jessica, Ashley and Kimberley are going down a storm with the gay community too. Which proves they’re more than mere cock magnets. However, it’s their background as LA showgirls, which probably truly explains their capture of the pink pound.

Nicole and fellow felines mix material new and old on 12-track debut PCD. There’s infectious hit single 'Don't Cha' featuring Busta Rhymes which deservedly reached the number one spot on both sides of the Atlantic. But also an adaptation of Nina Simone's 'Feelin' Good', which puts Muse's interpretation to shame.

But does the world really need another ‘Tainted Love’ cover? Especially as Marilyn Manson’s one is still so fresh in the memory. And the Dolls' rendition pales in comparison to Manson's, which in turn represented a diluted version of Soft Cell's superlative portrayal of the Gloria Jones original.

The Spice Girls used to bang on about ‘Girl Power’. The Pussycat Dolls subscribe to a philosophy that’s more revolutionary, but at the same time more traditional if the exhibitionist tendencies of the Ancient Greeks are to believed. Pussy Power, and they’re gonna milk it 'til it's dry.
(3/5)

Release Date: 12 September 2005

---

PCD  Check For Live Dates