Who knew that when Diddy hand selected five girls after two seasons of intense competition on the MTV hit series “Making the Band” that they would come together to form the successful group Danity Kane.
Danity Kane is back with the release of their sophomore album “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” which took the #1 spot on the charts, giving the girls their second #1 album in a row.
The first single “Damaged,” which was chosen by their fans, is a high energy pop song where the girls sing of a past relationship gone wrong, asking how the next man is going to fix it.
In an attempt to solidify their path as international pop superstars, Danity Kane has moved a step further from the heavily R’B influenced direction of their 2006 self-titled debut album to more of a popdance feel with a pinch of R’B that allows the album to straddle the two genres.
The girls willingly offer to be “your addiction if you want to get hooked,” on the futuristic track, “Bad Girl,” which features Missy Elliot. The singing style is robotic and chant-like while remaining catchy.
This album is full of infectious beats and can be heard in songs like “Pretty Boy,” an 80’s inspired club song, the sexy “Striptease” and “Light’s Out.”
The group members Shannon, Aundrea, Aubrey, D. Woods, and Dawn all displayed their writing abilities on this album. Dawn seems to be the standout member of the group; she penned the most of the songs and can be heard leading several tracks.
The group was under pressure when Diddy moved the girls to a house in Miami to live and record successful albums with Day 26, their male counterparts and the latest formation from the MTB franchise.
Both groups along with solo artist Donnie Klang were given only five weeks to record their entire albums. They worked with some of today’s top producers, including Grammy Award-winner Bryan-Michael Cox, Mario Winans, The Clutch, and Diddy himself.
The only full length ballads are “Poetry,” and “Is Anybody Listening,” both of which demonstrate the group’s talent and their vocal growth.
The other slow songs come in the form of interludes sprinkled throughout the album. These songs are some of the best and deserve their full three minutes and twenty seconds of fame; this may be a part of a plan to re-release the album somewhere down the line with full length versions of the songs.
A major flaw of this album comes from the lyrical content. During a time when so much is going on in the world, Danity Kane could have touched on something a little deeper than just love, relationships and having a good time.
The limited lyrics hinder the longevity of the songs and although you will enjoy it initially, it will soon be forgotten.
During the season, the girls voiced their unhappiness in the song choices. The very outspoken member, Aubrey, described their lyrical battle as, “a pimp and ho situation,” and eventually they were given the opportunity for more musical input.
Despite the lack of depth in the subject matter, the album does accomplish its goal of showcasing Danity Kane’s vocal growth since their first release. While the girls were thrown into a group out of thousands, they have come to form a bond among one another, and this unity can be heard throughout their music.
