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The ladies of the Pussycat Dolls (top row,  left to right- Melody Thornton, Kimberly Wyatt, Ashley Roberts; bottom row,- Nicole Scherzinger and Jessica Sutta) this week can expect  a disappointing debut for its sophomore album, Doll Domination. (picture courtesy of Reuters/Lucas Jackson)

Don’t cha want the new Pussycat Dolls album?

Judging by industry sales projections for the Doll’s sophomore effort Doll Domination, apparently not.

His Daily Double estimates that the quintet’s album will sell between 80,000-85,000 units in its first week, easily charting in the top 10 (and, likely the top five). Those wouldn’t be terrible numbers for a debut effort, but as the follow-up to an album that’s sold three million copies in the United States, it’s a bit of a letdown.

From 2005-2007, Pussycat Dolls were one of the most ubiquitous acts in pop music- you could barely blink without turning on a radio and hearing one of their several hits, or seeing them gyrate suggestively on music television channels. The one-time sextet’s debut PCD hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200, and scored five top 40 hits on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart, the biggest being the No. 2 smash, “Don’t Cha.” Other hits included the top five “Stickwitu” and “Buttons.”

Before entering the music world, the Dolls actually started as a burlesque/cabaret troupe. While lead singer Nicole Scherzinger wasn’t part of the burlesque incarnation, three other members were, namely Ashley Roberts, Jessica Sutta and Kimberly Wyatt. Another original member from the burlesque days, Carmit Bachar, left the group earlier this year.

As usually is the case with lead vocalists, Scherzinger has commanded the most attention since PCD conquered the music charts- like Diana Ross and Beyonce before her, it seemed a natural to branch out and tackle a solo career. And last year, she did just that.

During the second half of 2007, Scherzinger (whose first foray into pop music came as part of the manufactured Popstars-winning Eden’s Crush) had no less than four singles hit radio, but none left much of an impression. “Baby Love” and “Whatever U Like” charted on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, stalling at Nos. 108 and 104, respectively. Two other releases even failed to get that high, causing the further delay of her solo debut, Her Name is Nicole.

Scherzinger maintains that she needs to do music dissimilar to the Pussycat Dolls, and that it was just bad timing for her solo endeavors. Plus, PCD was on such a roll, she insists, that fans wanted more purring from the ladies. If that’s the case, why the underwhelming start for the new record?

Doll Domination’s lead single, “When I Grow Up,” did hit Billboard’s top 10 (peaking at No. 9), thanks to strong digital sales, but radio response was more tepid. The track got no higher than No. 20 on Hot 100 Airplay, and has spent the last several weeks dropping further down the chart.

So, has America had its fill of the Dolls? It may be too early to retire the kitty litter, but the album’s soft start isn’t a good foreshadower. The pop music audience can be a fickle lot at times, and the Dolls just aren’t all that fascinating collectively (or in solo form). What do we really know about the girls, anyway? Not a whole lot.

Even though the CW Network aired two Pussycat Dolls-titled reality series (one to find a new Doll, another to form a new female pop act), the Dolls themselves barely played a role, their participation limited to videotaped messages. In fact, all we know for sure about the Dollsis that they gyrate like they’re auditioning for Showgirls: The Musical. While unquestionably sexy, so are a bunch of other pop starlets who dress the part but have little else to offer.

So, what to do when the act itself, its music and all related aspects aren’t exactly standout or distinguishable from the pack? Maybe there’s a larger-than-life personality and/or a fast-track rock-and-roll lifestyle through which audiences can live vicariously? No dice here. Unless I’ve missed something crucial, the Dolls are about as interesting as a wet nap. Maybe they should have looked at Britney Spears’ life over the last couple of years as inspiration in obtaining the “It” factor.

(The most fascinating item about the Dolls over the last few years was Hasbro’s squashing plans to release a line of toy Dolls. Advocacy group Dads and Daughters complained that PCD was targeted to a more mature audience, with a spokesman saying, “I don’t think any father wants their 6-year-old daughter walking around like a sex kitten.”)

Regardless of whether or or not Doll Domination indeed stiffs in the long run, Scherzinger probably will make another attempt to kickstart her solo career. Becaue she doesn’t ooze the natural star quality that catapulted Ross and Beyonce to solo superstardom, she may want to do something- anything- that makes her a more intriguing persona, whether musically or personally.

It’s that, or Scherzinger can follow the other Dolls out to the backyard- that’s usually where pussycats end up once we’ve tired of ‘em.

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