Words By Jada G.

Danity Kane Album Cover

“I can be your addiction if you want to get hooked on me…”

Danity Kane’s sophomore album Welcome To The Dollhouse opens with a wind-up melody from a little girl’s jewelry box, complete with a fairy tale from P. Diddy. Once upon a time, he became a Gippetto of sorts. He breathed life into the career of one of the greatest rappers of all-time and helped turn Mary J. Blige into a household name. But that was the 90′s, the golden era of his Bad Boy empire. In 2008, he’s perfectly crafted five beauties with adequate voices and the requisite pop and lock moves. With all their Diddy-tuning, it’s up to the ladies of Danity Kane to break out of their packaging, or become obsolete models placed on the back shelf.

Danity Kane has benefited greatly from this era’s ultimate accessory: a reality TV show. For three seasons, we have seen them plucked from small town talent competitions and thrust onto TV screens, becoming a platinum selling debut girl group. On this season of Making the Band, we witnessed a few budding romances with their labelmates. When the girls weren’t in the midst of drama or fighting to keep their hair extensions, Diddy upped the can’t-miss ante with this year’s catchphrase: “Bitchassness.” T-shirts available at a Sean Jean near you.

Diddy’s hype, ear for hit songs and image consulting have crafted an infectious pop album. Welcome To The Dollhouse boasts dance tracks that are both club and tween sleepover friendly. Although he holds the strings, the girls tugged back for fifteen tracks of female empowerment, to give them, as Aubrey puts it, “a pop international sound.” By this, she must mean a futuristic Spice Girls sound. “Pretty Boy” has an undeniable Spice Girls high-on-Ritalin feel, from the “Hey hey” chorus and girly-girl raps.

“Pretty Boy” aside, Welcome… finds the girls of Danity Kane both sexy and sweet. They give us vampy sex appeal with doe-eyed innocence, offering tracks like “Lights Out” and “Secret Place.” On the space-age sounding “Bad Girl,” the girls leave the naughtiest lyrics to guest star, Missy Elliott: ” “I could do it all night. I can flip the pretty young thing on you.” The lead single “Damaged” has already found a home on pop radio, and its colorful video is a first since Justin last waved “Bye, Bye, Bye.”

Danity Kane thrives on the understated, non-glitzy tracks. “Sucka for Love” has a melody catchy enough to hook, but gives their vocals a chance to shine without all the flash and fuss. The only ballad on Dollhouse, “Poetry,” provides enough melodrama for the entire album: “You’re hiding behind the words. I’m lost in the verbs…” The angst is more polished on the slightly staccato “Key To Your Heart”—a break up song you can dance to. The budding Danity Kane sound is a smart approach, less hand-hippy than Destiny’s Child, more refined than their competitors of the moment, Cherish.

Despite their talents, Danity Kane still must face their ultimate nemesis: obscurity. Although the girls do have vocal chops, their voices are not distinct. Out of the five members, only Dawn and Aundrea have voices that are easily identified. The Danja hands produced “Strip Tease” sounds like a Britney B-side—in fact, the first verse sounds so much like Britney you would think she left rehab long enough to make a guest appearance.

In an industry in which twentysomething popstar hopefuls are being manufactured and distributed daily, Danity Kane will have to bring more distinction to their game. It’s easy now because they’re cruising on a pop lane that’s wide open. But what will happen when the new models enter the dollhouse?

Reality shows can guarantee a spot on Billboard’s Top Ten.

But longevity? That’s sold separately.

3.5 CIGARETTES