Music blog regulars will know that the Pussycat Dolls have thoroughly redeemed themselves with the (deluxe) Doll Domination album. Jai Ho conveniently repackages the end song from Slumdog Millionaire, giving Miss Scherzinger lead vocals and a background role for the composer, A R Rahman.

Jai Ho alternates between dramatic ethnic verses and uplifting pop choruses. Sure, they go a little overboard with the autotune sometimes (autotune is the modern equivalent of helium, isn’t it?).

My inclination is to crown this the best single the Pussycat Dolls have ever released, actually. The music is amazing. There are overtones of Beyonce and Shakira on Beautiful Liar, but ten times better. The video features the girls looking stunning and doing a fun Bollywood style dance routine. Don’t they look like they’re all having great fun?

The brief appearance by Mr Rahman in his suit kind of reminds me of those two guys from the Macarena video (a zillion years ago)!

Verdict? Massive hit. The most sublime, uplifting song I’ve heard in the pop chart in a long time. I’ve found myself transfixed by the video (especially the Doll in the blue denim shorts – who is she?), and wondering why we can’t get more ethnic music mixed into modern pop. Surely the last time was Holly Valance with Kiss Kiss?

Potential mixes: Swap the Jai Ho out of the chorus and mix in Enrique Iglesias’ Bailamos. Alternatively, I can see a spot for Kung-Fu Fighting in these somewhere.

Slightly worrying? I notice that the single cover says “Pussycat Dolls feat Nicole Scherzinger” – does that mean she’s going to be off on her solo trip again? Surely the massive resurgence of the Pussycat Dolls after her rather limp solo career should have taught her something. They’re stronger when they’re together. Seriously Nicole – don’t do it!

Whatcha Think About That is the third single from the Pussycat Dolls’ Doll Domination album.

It looks like the phenomenal return of the Pussycat Dolls is going to continue uninterrupted for quite some time. I’m slightly surprised to be honest, but the Dolls managed to reclaim the charts almost effortlessly.

To be fair, their R&B flavoured pop is highly polished, and each single from the new album has had a great hook. Whatcha Think About That has two: the chorus, and Missy Elliott’s “he got ta go” refrain.

The video’s the usual PCD fare – lots of lingering slow shots on the girls which I can’t really complain about. However, I’ve worked out that Nicole Scherzinger’s abs scare me off – if she’s exposing midriff, she looks a bit plastic like a fembot. If the abs are covered, she instantly looks more feminine.

Of course, there are plenty of critics, but I find I’m liking the Pussycat Dolls more this time around than I did with their debut. Far more than Nicole’s solo stuff. I still think I Hate This Part is the best single from the album so far, but this has the potential to be another hit for the Dolls, and it’s nice to see a cameo appearance from Missy again too.

Nicole and her sexy chums are back with a new single – I Hate This Part – and here’s a shocker: the barely-clad raunchy look is replaced with a pretty, feminine styling that I love.

In a rare ballad opportunity for the ‘Dolls, Nicole Scherzinger really gets to show off her voice. Coupled with sensitive lyrics “I hate this part right here/I just can’t take your tears”, this is a side of the Pussycat Dolls that we rarely see amid the gyrations.

Is it weird that, as a guy, I prefer this non-gyrating version of the ‘Dolls?

They have some form is releasing a ballad as the second single – think back to PCD and the Stickwitu single. However, that was more of a low-key tune compared to the drama of this single, which reaches quite a climax toward the end.

I’ve always felt that Nicole Scherzinger was marketing herself poorly in her solo career. Not only does she look stunning in the video, but for the first time, you can appreciate her as a singer. This gets a thumbs up from Unreality Music.

When we first heard about the new Pussycat Dolls single, it was tempting to gloat about Nicole Scherzinger coming back with her tail between her legs.

OK, it’s fair to say that Nicole’s solo stuff didn’t set the charts on fire, despite some high profile collaborations. But secretly we’re glad she’s back where she belongs. Aren’t you?

The song is a fairly standard riff on every kids dream of being famous.

Now, When I Grow Up isn’t quite up to the same standard as Don’t Cha, but it isn’t a bad start. Interestingly, the Armored Stereo blog says that it sounds like Scherzinger is still peddling her solo material, but recognises that she’s got a great voice all the same…

For our part, it’s nothing like a vehicle for Scherzinger. Her solo stuff was mostly too-smooth R&B material. Pussycat Dolls do loud, ballsy pop with infectious choruses. Their image is younger, scrappier and more fun than anything Nicole did alone.

It’s still debatable whether this will be the high-impact single the Dolls need to secure their return to pop. However, it’s a good enough start, and the video’s a pretty hot reminder of why we liked the Pussycat Dolls in the first place.

When I Grow Up is due for release in the UK on 8 September 2008.

According to Idolator, Nicole Scherzinger will be returning to her raunchy song and dance act after her solo career failed to set the charts alight.

Nicole’s decision to go solo after the Pussycat Dolls first album was something which shocked me. The Dolls had barely broken as an act, though admittedly Nicole was the only member of the group people recognised. Surely the music equivalent of premature ejaculation, Nicole decided that the time was right to go it alone.

And while part of the Pussycat Dolls, Scherzinger was the focal point, alone she failed to capture the public interest – despite keeping company with the likes of Timbaland, will.i.am and Mr Sean Combs.

Nicole’s obviously a talented and ambitious girl. She’s got a slender figure most women would kill for, and a smoky singing voice that could bring a man to his knees. But something’s missing from the mix that’s keeping Nicole from hitting the big time. Reading between the lines, I think she comes across as almost coldly ambitious – the hanging out with the right hip-hop megastars, the premature move toward a solo career and something in her character that is hard to identify with, for men and women.

Couple that with a couple of bland R&B singles, and you’ve lost the thrill of the original PCD material. Maybe if she’d been a bit more patient and bided her time in Pussycat Dolls, we could have got to know her better.

Unfortunately, her return to the PCD fold now looks more like a ‘tail between the legs’ rejoining rather than a continuation from a couple of years ago. Shame. What do you folks think?

Let’s face it, there isn’t much pretence – the name Pussycat Dolls has lap dancing written all over it, as do the dance routines, as do the tunes. Hell, I’m not complaining!

Anyway, in the video for Wait A Minute, it seems they’ve landed jobs a spies. Well, until they break into a poledancing routine on the subway which spills out into the street :) Timbaland – apparently a must-have for music videos these days – is along for the ride on this tune as well.

Wait A Minute is classic Pussycat Dolls – foxy, infectious pop music with a chorus that gets into your head and feet! Timbaland doesn’t add much more than his name to the song, and he’s little more than a prop in the video. But it seems to be law in the US that he appear in every pop video released, so I’ll shut up about that!

Here, just for the boys, is the Wait A Minute video: