So, apparently Perez Hilton is shocked and appalled that Danity Kane are reportedly due to hit the no.1 spot on the charts next week with their new album, Welcome To The Dollhouse. However, I am not surprised because the buzz around their single "Damaged" has been slowly and steadily rising, but almost uniformly positive (sadly the same cannot be said about the pink pink video, but never mind). Their debut eponymous album hit the top spot and sold over 300k in the process - numbers which even Britney Spears couldn't boast over the Christmas period last year. (P.-uffy) Diddy / Sean John / Combs knows how to release an impeccably produced record (the surprisingly excellent Press Play from 2006 which walks all over Timbaland's recent solo effort in terms of both star power and genuine singable melodies) and how to market it.
And I am certainly not unhappy that this effort is going to top the charts (if sources are correct). Welcome To The Dollhouse is an early but extremely strong contender for album of the year. And that's including Janet Jackson's Discipline, of whom I am a big fan. The differences between Discipline and Dollhouse are: Danity Kane's album has frankly stronger vocals, one unifying sound rather than stabs at several, and no filler. Where Janet Jackson's album boasts "So Much Betta", "Greatest X", "Feedback" and "Rollercoaster" among its gems, it falls down on mundane songs which try too hard to please and go nowhere, such as "2nite" and "What's Your Name". Danity Kane's latest effort has no such pitfalls.
Of course the album is not perfect, so I shall get the faults out of the way. 1. The intro is irritating, mainly because we didn't buy the CD to listen to Diddy mumble the names of each member. Delaying the music makes the listener want to reach through the speaker, grab Combs by the scruff of the neck and tell him to go work on a new perfume or album of his own. 2. Although the album has, as I stated before, its own sound which lends the disc both continuity and originality, this means that a couple of the less strong songs get slightly lost amongst the stronger tracks. Here, the casualties are "Lights Out" and "Key To My Heart". However, the latter track still stands out by virtue of its beat, which sounds like mechanical keys turning - it's just a bit lacking in the melody department, though it doesn't sound unappealing. Nor does "Lights Out", which has garnered good feedback elsewhere but for this reviewer is just 'ok', also suffering due to its position between "2 Of You", a super-catchy, super-fun handclapping anthem, and "Poetry", the song's standout track and ballad. So I would not say they are filler tracks, but just the weaker songs on an otherwise extremely strong effort. 3. It's evident that while the disc is immaculately produced and crafted, the girls' voices blend into one another so that the listener can't tell them apart. But maybe that's just because I don't watch MTV Making The Band. 4. "Ain't Going", the hidden track at the end of the CD, sticks out like a sore thumb because it's blatantly just there to introduce new Bad Boy proteges Day 26 and Donnie - none of the artists are able to establish themselves on the more straightforwardly urban track which sounds dated (though it's not!) in comparison to the fashion-forward material making up the rest of the album.
Now onto the strengths. Without listing every track on the album, the songs are mature yet fun, precisely aimed at older teenagers and 20-somethings who want to have fun and yet feel the music they are listening to, be it through pulsing, imaginative club-beats, or reflective electro-ballads. The sound of the CD is unified throughout (with one major exception), pitched somewhere between Britney's Blackout and Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad (two of 2007's strongest releases), yet somehow blended to sound uniquely belonging to Danity Kane. That it is built upon the sound of their debut album is not bad thing - fans of "Want It", "Right Now" and "Ride For You" are well-catered for on this disc - but Welcome To The Dollhouse refines and perfects this sound so that the electronic dance, catchy pop and R&B beats and vocals are seamlessly fused. As on the debut, the interludes (barring the intro, which is easily skippable) blend well into the songs, while sounding appealing on their own - "Flashback" in particular would have made a fantastic song in its own right. Most importantly, they serve a purpose on the album, not being pointless filler to bulk up the tracklisting.
When I heard the original battle for first single from this set was between "Damaged" and "Pretty Boy", I was originally in favour of "Pretty Boy" because of it's imaginative Danja-produced beat and music-melody, in addition to the interplay between the sung hook and the spoken hooks. However, though it is certainly a club-friendly record, I must admit that I was wrong and "Damaged" has revealed itself to be the stronger song which more radio longevity (and more singing). The melody and hook is something which worms itself subtly into the listener's brain and stays there long after the song has ended. It may take several plays, but one you're hooked, that's it. Same goes for "Bad Girl", the album opener, complete with rote Missy Elliott rap (which sounds somewhat uninspired here) - the multiple hooks are all potent, from "When the red light comes on I transform" (boasting a slight operatic feel) to "Maybe I'm just a Bad Girl". "2 Of You" is similarly addictive, including its audience-participation-friendly handclaps, which will be a tour favourite.
However, the strongest tracks for me have to be the slower fare (each of which is preceded by an interlude, interestingly enough). "Is Anybody Listening" is a thoughtful slower track which perfectly closes out the album, asking its titular question and providing an effective plea to end loneliness over a futuristic yet isolating backing which echoes the girls' complaints all the more. "Does anybody care, life's unfair" may sound rich coming from these gifted and lucky (not to mention beautiful) singers, but the restrained emotion in their voices is positively evocative. "Extasy" is a particularly strong song, going straight in with the Rick Ross feature which may seem a gamble, but here it pays off. The listener is hooked by the time he has gruffly uttered the phrase "Her mom called me a D-boy, she said yes he is a dreamer" - and this is before the girls have even descended, cooing as if they were angels descending from the heavens. The song builds and builds in both its beats and production, and the layers of vocals, climaxing at the b-section with shouts for propulsive backing vocals, and layers upon layers of vocals cooing "Extasy" and "I wanna take you there".
But if this wasn't enough, then "Poetry" is the strongest track on the album. Preceded by the interlude "Picture This" which clues the listener in on its theme of heartbreak, this track is the only one which breaks from the futuristic formula of the CD - but this is a positive and certainly not to the disc's detriment. Again building up slowly but surely with layers of strings, guitars and drums which add intensity with every chorus, the lyrics depict a sense of heartache and instability within a relationship. While the girls sing that they don't know if the object of their affections loves them or not, and are "lost in the verse", their vocals are right on point, and even include an audience shout-out at the climax. The song is a hyper-ballad which has a musical buildup, but importantly, a vocal performance to match which proves that Danity Kane are not just pretty faces, but talented singers to boot.
So I like this album (ha ha). But when a new group establishes their identity and demonstrates their talent and purpose in such a decisive and sure way, it's impossible not to sit up and take notice of the well-crafted, impeccably-produced and intelligently-performed material and be impressed. Danity Kane, you are an inspiration to all girl-groups looking to overcome the dreaded sophomore slump.
