Test Spin: Danity Kane

Although without Biggie there would be no Diddy, there could have been Danity Kane without Puffy (not to mention MTV’s Making the Band). This sophomore release, Welcome to the Dollhouse, shows that despite the mistakes Diddy’s made with the album’s basics, these girls may actually be talented enough to have made it without him.
Unfortunately, Diddy’s producers drenched the album in excessively “original” beats, making it difficult to distinguish the songs from one another. The album is also marred by several waste-of-space interludes, which make no contribution other than to infuriate the listener. I’d have much preferred another complete track.
However, the girl’s voices have developed significantly since the Making the Band auditions where the group first appeared. With vocals impressive despite pop-group cliché-dom and techno/r&b/pop/rock beats worthy of a few good miles on the treadmill, the album is a pleasure that your iPod should not be denied of—even if it be a guilty one.