Tag Archives: Pussycat Dolls

Music

Album’s Singles Review: “Doll Domination” by Pussycat Dolls

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Doll Domination (album)
Due to the success of their debut album, Pussycat Dolls released their second album, but as five-piece this time as one of their members left. “Doll Domination” sold lower than their debut album despite ranking higher position in United States and UK. The album peaked at number 4 in both countries. The album contains more R&B and danceable tunes.

When I Grow Up
“When I Grow Up” was released as the carrier single for “Doll Domination”. The song talks about dreams of becoming famous. It was a R&B dance pop song and it did well in the charts reaching top 10 worldwide.
Rate: 8.25 out of 10

Whatcha Think About That (ft. Missy Elliott)

“Whatcha Think About That” was released as a single some countries. It wasn’t that made a response from radio charts here in Asia. It reached number 9 in United Kingdom.
Rate: 7.75 out of 10

I Hate This Part
“I Hate This Part” was the second international single of the Pussycat Dolls’ second album. It is a dance R&B song but the good thing on it is they toned down for not being too sexy on its video. The song went top 10 on many countries, though it reached number 12 and 11 in UK and US respectively.
Rate: 8.5 out of 10

Out of This Club
“Out of This Club” is a radio single from “Doll Domination” as it achieved airplays. The song is a R&B ballad similar to “Stickwitu”. It failed to chart in major charts.
Rate: 8.0 out of 10

Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny) (with A.R. Rahman)
“Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)” was released as an official single from Pussycat Doll’s second album “Doll Domination”. The song is dance pop with R&B and Indian influence as it was used for the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” and produced by A.R. Rahman.  It became a worldwide hit reaching top 10. In UK, it reached number 3.
Rate: 8.25 out of 10

Bottle Pop (ft. Snoop Dogg)
“Bottle Pop” was released as a single in some countries. The song is a danceable R&B which draw similarities with “Buttons”. The song charted in limited countries.
Rate: 7.25 out of 10

Hush, Hush
“Hush , Hush” was the last single from “Doll Domination”. It was a pop song with disco influence as “I Will Survive” was sampled in it. It charted in many countries worldwide reaching top 10 and top 20 in different countries.
Rate: 8.0 out of 10

Credits: Billboard / OCC / Wikipedia

Video from YouTube / ThePussycatDollsVEVO

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Album’s Singles Review: Pussycat Dolls “PCD”

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Pussycat Dolls became the top girl group of their time. It is reminiscent of Spice Girls, though they were more in a sexy inage due to burlesque style through their album PCD. The album contained pop, R&B and dance music with some sexual and feministic theme. The album became very successful worldwide which it went 3x platinum in the US.

Don’t Cha (ft. Busta Rhymes)
This song is somewhat seductive with its theme. It featured rapper Busta Rhymes with its rap part before the last chorus. In the music video, the girls has shown heavy choreography in their dance sequence. It eventually became a worldwide hit reaching number 1 and 2 in the UK and US, respectively.
Rate: 7.75 out of 10

Stickwitu (ft. Avant)
This served as the second release from PCD album and it is a R&B ballad track. The song talks about sticking to the person you love. I love the breezy and refreshing tunes of it. It became a hit worldwide.
Rate: 8.5 out of 10

Beep (ft. Will.i.am)
This single featured one of its co-writers Will.i.am. The term “Beep” was pertaining to the sound which meant to censor words. The song became the girl group’s third consecutive hit from PCD.
Rate: 7.0 out of 10

Buttons
This song is a R&B song with burlesque influence due to its steamy lyrics. But the Arabic influence in it helped to make it sounds good. The song still became a worldwide hit which in US and UK, it reached number 3.
Rate: 6.5 out of 10

I Don’t Need a Man
The song has a feminism theme about not needing a man. It has a disco-influenced track with retro tune. It was a hit in some countries including UK where it reached the top 10.
Rate: 6.25 out of 10

Wait a Minute (ft. Timbaland)
Pussycat Dolls released this as their final single of their first album. The song featured producer Timbaland, which is very obvious in its tune. It went top top 40 in the US.
Rate: 7.0 out of 10

Credits: Billboard / Wikipedia

Movies, Music

Trends and Cliches in Mainstream Music (2005-2009)

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There were a lot of changes in music from 2005-2009. As noticed, there were a lot of newcomers, trends has significantly changed as well as decline of CD or album sales.

British female soul singers
Any Winehouse achieved more success in her 2006 second album “Back to Black”, while another soul singer Corinne Bailey Rae became successful with her debut album after her successful single ” Put Your Records On”. Another soul singer, Duffy, achieved worldwide success with her album “Rockferry” and became the top selling artist in 2008 in UK. Adele also debuted that same year but achieved more success with her second album.

Rise of digital and single downloads
Digital sales increased during this era and we saw the rise of singles downloads. Downloads are now included to eligible to chart in music charts.

Drop of album sales
With the rise of digital downloads, album sales went down continually. This era, no albums released ever reached 20 million in sales.

Electronic Dance Music
In 2009, EDM (Electronic Dance Music) was seen to rise. David Guetta achieved successes after the hit single “When Love Takes Over” with Kelly Rowland on vocals. Lady Gaga’s sound became popular as well, thus, opening the path for dance music on the rise.

Disney princesses
This is the era when Disney princesses debuted in music industry. Miley Cyrus became successful with her Hannah Montana TV show as well as the film and soundtracks. She reached number 1 with her introductory LP “Breakout”. Other Disney stars, Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, had their first albums to Billboard top 10.

Musicals on TV and movies
Disney released a TV film “High School Musical” which became a phenomenon, It had its sequel again on TV, while the last part was a movie released on theaters. The soundtrack albums became big sellers too. In 2009, musical show “Glee” became successful in ratings while records sales sold millions too.

American Idol winners
After Kelly Clarkson’s success, Americal Idol continued to break the ratings game. Carrie Underwood achieved successes and became one of the top country artists. Other AI winners achieved limited success.

Girl groups
Two notable girl groups who broke album sales this era, Pussycat Dolls and Danity Kane. The former though became the most successful female group at that time.

Successful comeback
We saw Mariah Carey’s successful comeback with “Emancipation of Mimi” after 2 flop albums. Madonna went back on top again after “American Life” performed modestly. Her “Confessions on a Dance Floor” became a top seller. Justin Timberlake’s long awaited second album became one of the best selling albums during this era.

Some facts from Wikipedia

Music

10 Songs With “Don’t”

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“Don’t” is one of the most used word in songs and it pertains obviousyly to not do something. In songs, it was used both positively and negatively.Let’s check some of those songs.

Journey- Don’t Stop Believing
The song is very anthemic as it gives a positive message to succeed. It is also one of the greatest rock songs which had received recent success after being used in other aspects of entertainment.

Ed Sheeran- Don’t
Ed just said “don’t”, a simple one word but it carries a big meaning and a strong word. The song became his first top 10 in the US according to Billboard.

En Vogue- Don’t Let Go (Love)
When you love someone and might be on a trouble, say “don’t let it go and keep the love remain. This song was the official last big hit of Bilboard as it reached the top 2.

Pussycat Dolls- Don’t Cha
You know this guy and he kinda likes you, however, he has a girlfriend. But you stood up and ask the guy “don’t” wish his girlfriend would be like her. Hhmmm, sounds like flirtation is going on. This song became famous worldwide.

No Doubt- Don’t Speak
When you already knew that what will go out of the mouth will hurt, just say, “don’t” speak. The song was considered as the band’s signature hit.

Pink- Please Don’t Leave Me
A relationship may be love and hate but you “don’t” want the one you love to leave. This Pink hit went to the top 20 in many countries which proved it ia successful.

Madonna- Don’t Tell Me
You “don’t” anybody to tell you what to do? This song fits for you. It became a big hit during the first quarter of 2001 after hitting the top 10 worldwide.

My Chemical Romance- I Don’t Love You
When you left the one you loved once, can you tell that person that you “don’t” love her or him? This emo song became a hit in Asia while hitting top 20 in UK.

Crowded House- Don’t Dream It’s Over
There may be a lot that hinders us for love to succeed. “Don’t” give up, it is not yet over. This song became an international hit for the band and was even covered by a number of artists.

Mariah Carey- Don’t Forget About Us
You may not be with the one you once love, but you plead not to forget about their once good relationship. The song added to Mariah’s portfolio of number 1 hits in the US.

Some facts from Wikipedia

Music

Top R&B Hits of 2005-2009

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Trends in music may be slowly changing during this period but R&B music is still doing very well. They even topped the charts in several weeks even reaching 14 weeks by a song.

Mario- Let Me Love You
This breezy, subtle and midtempo R&B hit makes me listen to it as it is too peaceful for the ear. It has been Mario’s signature hit as it spent several weeks in the US chart and was a big hit elsewhere too.

Mariah Carey- We Belong Together
2005 is a big year for Mariah as she redeemed the throne after 2 flop records prior. This song made a mark on Mariah’s career after sitting for 14 weeks in the US as well as good performance in global charts.

Pussycat Dolls- Don’t Cha
It seems this girls finally took the girlband throne which was vacated for a long time. This song served as an opener for Pussycat Dolls’ success as it was a mega-seller worldwide.

Beyonce- Irreplaceable
Beyonce’s success continues through this pop/R&B hit which was one of the hits that spent more than 10 weeks at the summit. It was also a success in several territories.

Ne-Yo- So Sick
The song that has become a formula by which similarities can be heard from hits of Rihanna, Chris Brown, Beyonce, etc. The song topped major countries as US and UK.

Rihanna ft. Jay-Z- Umbrella
Rihanna may had big hits prior to this but this song has been career defining for her. It made her a superstar and this song was one of the modern hits then with a lot of cover versions.

Alicia Keys- No One
This midtempo R&B hit showcased the amazing vocals of Alicia Keys. It went on to become one of the biggest hits of 2008

Sean Kingston- Beautiful Girls
You might hear “Stand By Me” in this song and yes it is. This is one of the catchiest R&B hits if 2000s which made it spawn to the top globally.

Justin Timberlake ft. T.I.- My Love
I love how the synth, R&B beat and hip-hop was infused in this song. It went on to become the second consecutive chart-topper for JT.

Flo Rida ft. T-Pain- Low
One of the biggest hip-hop songs in 2000s, this was a breakthrough for Flo Rida. The song was the theme of the dance-inspired film “Step Up 2”.

Leona Lewis- Bleeding Love
After becoming a UK big seller, it broke the US market and became the top song of 2008 in terms of sales.

Madonna and Justin Timberlake- 4 Minutes
We rarely hear Madonna sing R&B songs but she pretty nailed it in this danceable R&B pop tune with Justin Timberlake. It turned into a global smash in 2008.

Rihanna- Take a Bow
Following the Ne-Yo formula, this R&B midtempo ballad from Rihanna immediately climbed to the top.

Black Eyed Peas- Boom Boom Pow
Black Eyed Peas settled for a 12-week reign this upbeat hip-hop, electronic and R&B hit which portrayed a big part for the group’s career.

Beyonce- Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)
Beyonce came out with this upbeat song which made a huge contribution in pop culture. It was one of the biggest R&B hits of all time.

Some facts based from Wikipedia

Music

Top Girlband Albums Since 1990

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Girl groups became popular during the 90s, however, many girlbands already dominated the charts before with the likes of The Supremes. They became more popular with the rise the Spice Girls during the second half of 1990s. Here are some of the most popular girlband albums since 1990.

Spice Girls- Spice
This is the biggest selling album by an all-female group ever as sales (claimed sales) reached 30 million, according to Wikipedia. It was also credited for changing the landscape of pop music which evidently crossed through this generation. Moreover, the album scored 3 top five US hits and 4 UK chart-topping singles.

TLC- Crazy Sexy Cool
After scoring a multi-platinum album in US, this record became a big breakthrogh for the trio’s international career. This album was estimated with sales of 23 million (according to Wikipedia) and scored timeless number 1 hits such as the upbeat “Creep” and the socially relevant “Waterfalls”.

Spice Girls- Spiceworld
In just a year of release of “Spice”, the girls took advantage of their popularity and their second album “Spiceworld” was released. It ended up as multi-platinum again and scored 3 US top 20 singles, as well as 3 number 1s in UK.

Destiny’s Child- The Writings on the Wall
The album may have started with quite low sales but as they gained more attention, the album eventually became a huge worldwide hit. Three of its tracks went top 3 in the US, which 2 songs went to number 1. In UK, fours songs went to top 10.

TLC- Fanmail
The group took a long hiatus and this LP came about through fan’s request and contribution, that’s why they called it “Fanmail”. Since the Spice Girls took hiatus after Geri’s departure, the trio took the attention as the top girl group and sold millions through this album which had two number 1 singles.

Pussycat Dolls- PCD
After the absence of girl group domination, Pussycat Dolls rose to fame and they became the biggest girl group at that time through this album which scored 3 top 5 US singles while 5 songs off of this album went top 10 in UK.

Destiny’s Child- Survivor
Due to the success of their “The Writings on the Wall” album, the girls released their follow-up which is “Survivor”. It eventually became their fastest selling album and scored 3 US chart-topping singles.

All Saints- All Saints
Initially, they have limited success but through the song “Never, Ever”, they finally scored 5 UK top tens, including one singles which hit the US top 5. The album went multi-platinum in UK.

t.A.T.u.- 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane
This Russian duo became controversial through their song and video “All the Things You’ve Said”, which its publicity could have helped the album instead which was huge in sales that year when it was released.

Movies, Music

Top Movie Soundtrack Hits of 2000s

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Movie soundtracks in 2000s may not be as huge as in 1990s, however, there are some big hits too this decade.

High School Musical Cast- Breaking Free
(from High School Musical)
The cast of this TV movie gained popularity in music industry when this song hit the top 10, which is also popular among teenagers.

Nelly, P. Diddy and Murphy Lee- Shae Ya Tailfeather
(from Bad Boys 2)
It took 8 years for the sequelof Bad Boys 2, and it was worth it as the film was a hit as well as this song which was a Hot 100 chart-topper.

Madonna- Die Another Day
(from Die Another Day)
She had a cameo role in this James Bond film, likewise, she sang the Bond theme which became the biggest Bond song after several years.

Miley Cyrus- The Climb
(from Hannah Montana The Movie)
After successful TV soundtracks, finally, a movie soundtrack was released through the movie versio. The movie’s theme “The Climb” became a Billboard top 5 hit and Miley’s biggest hit then.

A.R. Rahman and Pussycat Dolls- Jai Ho (You are My Destiny)
(from Slumdog Millionaire)
Originally excluded Pussycat Dolls from the original version, the group’s inclusion made the song a hit. The success of the film can also be attributed.

Linkin Park- What I’ve Done
(from Transformers)
This can be the biggest selling single of the band, it’s inclusion to the “Transformers” soundtrack is a jump start for the band’s new album.

Faith Hill- There You’ll Be
(from: Pearl Harbor)
The song was Faith’s biggest international hit and was intended to duplicate the success of “My Heart Will Go On” but it didn’t match. It is still a hit though.

Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, Mya and Pink- Lady Marmalade
(from: Moulin Rouge)
These four ladies made an incredible version of this song with huge impact to the success of the album’s soundtrack and film. It went on to top the global charts.

Eminem- Lose Yourself
(from: 8 Mile)
This song is one of the biggest hit of Em. Likewise, it is also a successful film which starred Em himself. The soundtrack is also reached high sales status.

Flo Rida ft. T-Pain- Low
(Step Up 2: The Streets)
It seems hip-hop is such a big genre in soundtracks recently. This song from the second installment of Step Up was one of the biggest selling digital singles to date.

Some facts from Wikipedia

Music

Top 15 Girl band Hits since 2000

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Girl groups did well too since 2000. Most girl groups came from UK while most who made it big worldwide were those from US. Here are the girl band hits that made big impact worldwide since the new millennium started.

Pussycat Dolls- When I Grow Up
After their huge success, this song served as the carrier single of their new album which shown a less burlesque style of the group. It became a top ten hit song worldwide.

Little Mix- Black Magic
This song was just released this 2015 and became huge in UK as well as other territories. The catchy pop song is their biggest hit in Asia as of this time.

Atomic Kitten- Whole Again
This pop track from the girls became thier first UK number 1 hit. It was also well received in several territories like in Europe and Asia.

Spice Girls- Holler
They may have dominated the 1990s, this 2000s was unsustained after Geri left the four Spices. Still, the group scored a number 1 hit through “Holler”.

Destiny’s Child- Say My Name
Despite scoring two huge hits, this song became their international breakthrough as it crossed the charts of many countries worldwide. It is also their first song released and video without the two original members of the group.

All Saints- Pure Shores
This song is a different tune from All Saints. From the usual R&B and pop sound, this song is electronic that’s comparable to Madonna’s sound with her recent album at that time “Ray of Light”. It was a number one hit for the girls.

Pussycat Dolls- Buttons
Going sexy this time, the song went to the top 3 of US and became one of the most successful singles from PCD.

Atomic Kitten- The Tide is High
This became a huge revival hit for the group as it hit the charts in Europe and Asia. Its impact was also felt stateside.

Destiny’s Child- Lose My Breath
After hiatus, the girls came back with a bang as this song was very successful worldwide peaking the top ten vicinity. In US, it peaked at number 3.

Fifth Harmony- Worth It
Finally, a radio hit success came for Fifth Harmony. This song made significant airplays and despite peaking at inside top 15, it has been running in the chart for several months in US. In UK, it became a bigger hit reaching number 3.

Sugababes- Push the Button
They already had a number of hits prior to this but this song became the most successful single in terms of airplays and territories it charted. Of course, it is a chart-topper in UK.

Pussycat Dolls- Stickwitu
Pussycat Dolls scored their second top 5 hit in the US through this R&B/pop ballad which contributed to their album’s success. It reached number 1 in some countries which included UK.

Destiny’s Child- Survivor
One of the most iconic songs by a girl group, the song talks about the girls’ journey despite controversies involving their former members. It is their second single as officially a trio and became a number 1 hit worldwide.

Pussycat Dolls- Don’t Cha
This song was the group’s first ever hit song and sold millions after hitting the charts worldwide. The R&B track featured Busta Rhymes.

Destiny’s Child- Independent Women
This can be considered as the biggest girl band hit since 2000 with its female empowerment theme similar to Spice Girls’ Girl Power. Apart from topping the charts worldwide, it became the longest number 1 single by a girl group in history of Billboard singles chart. It’s also their first single as trio.

Music, TV Shows

Recap: Your Face Sounds Familiar 2 October 24, 2015

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After a week of failing to watch last week’s episode due to strong typhoon, I am back to writing the recap for this week. I may be writing about last week after streaming. Anyway, tonight may be another great episode of Your Face Sounds Familiar Season 2.

To start the show, of course, Melai Cantiveros is back for her weekly impersonation. This week, she’s the ABS-CBN News reporter Doris Bigornia. Funny how she stole the beginning of the show from host Billy Crawford.

Here are the five performers for tonight’s episode:
Kean Cipriano as Jose Mari Chan
Kean turned into a balladeer as he acted as iconic Filipino balladeer Jose Mari Chan. He sang one of Chan’s signature song “Beautiful Girl” which even had 3 beauty queens onstage: MJ Lastimosa, Bea Rose Santiago, and Mutya Datul. His look slightly looked like Chan while the singing was done lower than Chan’s voice.

Myrtle Sarosa as Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls
Myrtle went sexy this time as Nicole Scherzinger of girl group Pussycat Dolls. The performance is good, and I think she needs more moves. So far, she copied Nicole too close.

KZ Tandingan as Lolita Carbon
KZ went folk rock as Lolita Carbon singing a very iconic OPM song “Himig ng Pag-Ibig”. It is very close and the voice is very soothing. Though Lolita’s voice is slightly pitchy than KZ, it is still a very good performance.

Michael Pangilinan as Tracy Chapman
Michael turned into a female singer tonight as folk pop singer Tracy Chapman. It wouldn’t be that hard to act as Tracy since Tracy is quite musculine. By the way her voice is very distinct and it can be understood if Michael do not exactly copied Tracy’s vocals.

Denise Laurel as Jed Madela
Denise had the most difficult task as she is assigned to do Jed Madela, who is one of the judges. It is not exactly Jed but the effort can really be felt. Even the judges gave her a standing ovation.

Tonight’s episode had just wrapped up and the winner will be announced tomorrow after three more performers. By the way I made my own ranking for tonight which was listed below.
1. Denise Laurel
2. KZ Tandingan
3. Myrtle Sarosa
4. Kean Cipriano
5. Michael Pangilinan

Your Face Sounds Familiar 2 airs on Saturdays and Sundays on ABS-CBN 2.