The Pussycat Dolls' take on Jai Ho

What do you know, Bollywood has come to the rescue of the Pussycat Dolls. Nicer still that it came along at a time when its crucial second album Doll Domination was in danger of tanking after only one hit, When I Grow Up. After a series of sellers from the first CD, having only one in its second release is certainly a downer.

The girl group’s first album, titled PCD was a fun-filled romp suited to the Dolls’ image. It yielded several hits like the monster Don’t Cha plus Beep, Buttons, Wait a Minute and the Grammy nominated ballad Stickwitu. It also firmly established Nicole Scherzinger, Melody Thornton, Kimberly Wyatt, Ashley Roberts and Jessica Sutta as bona fide pop stars. Just in case you have forgotten, the Pussycat Dolls started out as a burlesque act. So a successful album that is also popular with kids was definitely a big leap forward.

Playful and sexy just like PCD, there are also several exciting tracks in Doll Domination. When I Grow Up tops the line-up. Whatcha Think About That feat. Missy Elliott and Out of This Club feat. R. Kelly and Polow Da Don are also good.

In Person could be another Stickwitu. Nicole, of course is the group’s lead singer and she sounds great. But the other girls also get a chance to strut their vocal stuff in this one and they fare very well. But with the act’s novelty appeal starting to wane, the Dolls needed a big boost to set things on fire again.

That could have come from the other well-produced titles. Bottle Pop feat. Snoop Dogg, I Hate This Part, Takin’ Over the World, Who’s Gonna Love You, Happily Never After, Magic, Halo, Elevator, Hush Hush, Love the Way You Love Me, Whatchamacallit and I’m Done. But no extra work from these tunes turned out to be required. Besides come to think of it, none of them can really hold a candle to an unplanned cut that came out of nowhere.

In a manner that can only be described as serendipitous, a song came along that has turned out to be bigger than the rest. This is Jai Ho, the Academy Award winning tune from the also Academy Award winning motion picture Slumdog Millionaire. The Pussycat Dolls recorded a new version together with songwriter and original artist, A.R. Rahman, featuring Nicole on solo. It was first released as a single but is now titled Jai Ho You Are My Destiny and a bonus cut in Doll Domination.

I do not really approve of special edition releases wherein an album that most people have already bought is repackaged and offered as a new product because of the addition of one or two new cuts. But it can be forgiven if the new track is something like Jai Ho, which is not only fun and uplifting but also works great on the dance floor.

Top 20 international videos of the week on MYX

Meanwhile out there at MYX, the country’s leading music channel, the Top 20 international videos of the week are the following: The Climb by Miley Cyrus; Love Story by Taylor Swift; Come Back to Me by David Cook; Jai Ho by A.R. Rahman and the Pussycat Dolls; If U Seek Amy by Britney Spears; I Caught Myself by Paramore; Your Call by Secondhand Serenade; Thinking of You by Katy Perry; My Life Would Suck Without You by Kelly Clarkson; Broken Strings by James Morrison and Nelly Furtado.

Love, Sex, Magic by Ciara and Justin Timberlake; Please Don’t Leave Me by Pink; Insomnia by Craig David; Halo by Beyoncé; Diva, another new hit by Beyoncé; Untouched by The Veronicas; Don’t Forget by Demi Lovato; Know Your Enemy by Green Day; Stuck with Each Other by Shontelle and Akon; and Love Game by Lady GaGa.