These Pussycat Dolls are an intruiging bunch. The original version of the group were/are burlesque dancers in Los Angeles (basically exotic dancers but not as sleazy and often incorporating Hollywood starlets), but now we have a bunch of them who also sing and have a smash hit single on both sides of the Atlantic. Will Spice Girls-style global domination follow?

Certainly in the immediate future, things look very bright for these girls, with Don't Cha making them the talk of the music industry even over here, where the Dolls' fame is limited.

It's a great song, there's no doubt about it, and getting Busta Rhymes to guest on it has only helped its success. However, the question of whether they will be able to have sustained success all depends on the quality of the rest of this album.

One very interesting thing you discover when you open the CD booklet is that it says in big writing that all lead vocals are by Nicole Sherzinger. That doesn't particularly sound empowering to the other five members of the group now does it? While they do contribute 'additional lead vocals and background vocals', it's mainly a one-girl show, as she also gets some co-writing credits.

Perhaps we're being a bit naive here, after all there have been plenty of pop groups who barely sang a note between them, and at least the Dolls have one actual singer amongst their ranks of eye candy, with Nicole being a former member of Eden's Crush, the American version of Hear'Say (formed by Popstars TV show, huge hit single then collapsed).

Anyway, moving on, the likely next single from PCD is Beep, which follows Don't Cha in being flirty, sassy and ever-so-slightly naughty. Featuring will.i.am, it is definitely a song about what is not said rather than what is, with he and Nicole singing very dirty things to each other but getting away with it by missing out the rude words. Hence the title.

The rest of the album finds a curious mix of similarly sexy originals and rather too many cover versions of songs like Hot Stuff, Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go, Feelin' Good and Sway. They are all very stylishly produced and this is certainly a heck of a lot better than the Spice Girls, but it's still a little disappointing to find that, beneath the veneer of attitude, this is just another manufactured girl group.