There's a kind of beautifully perverse brilliance to . Not only are they a sextet who got their start as neo-burlesque dancers in Los Angeles, but they make no bones about being a gleefully manufactured act. Open the booklet for their 2005 debut, , and their artificiality is made clear: the first page reads "All lead and background vocals by ," a former member of , the failed prefab group assembled on the 's pre- reality music show . There is no pretense that , , and are there for anything besides filling out the illusion that this is a real performing musical group and providing some serious eye candy for a group that is all about the visuals. The great thing about is that the producers and songwriters behind the album -- and, since this is a big-budget album in the mid-2000s, there are many credited writers and producers -- are eager to play with ' hyper-sexual image, creating a sleek, sexy sound ideal for both nightclubs and strip joints across this great land. And, at least at first, the songs are about how irresistibly sexy are, starting with the genius hit single where and the rest of strut around, taunting a hapless man with such come-ons as "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me/Don't cha wish your girlfriend was a freak like me." There has never been a sex song quite as knowingly ironic yet undeniably sexy as this, and for a while the album keeps the momentum up, first with 's a rewrite of ' except this is funny, not embarrassing, and since is sexier than , it's also sultrier. is in the same vein and, for a brief moment, it seems like will be that rare thing: a mainstream album devoted to nothing but songs. Then, reality comes crashing in with the fourth song, the inevitable romantic slow jam whose sappiness undercuts the joyous carnal celebration of the first three songs. Although the rest of the album has more tunes than -- and some catchy ones, too, like -styled -- the album never quite recovers, since the fantasy of a girl group that's only it for the sex, not love, has been ruined. Since that fantasy is the very reason exist as either a dance troupe or a group, it's a bit of a disappointment, but is still worthwhile because there enough good cuts to make it a fun soundtrack to parties or strip clubs, even if there aren't quite enough to make this the camp classic that the beginning of the album suggests it could have been. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine