"Be careful what you wish for 'cos you just might get it," warn the Pussycat Dolls on 'When I Grow Up'. That's dark stuff from a group who found fame taunting "Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?" But they know what they're talking about.

Despite their success — subsequent hits like 'Buttons' combined with skimpy outfits and hot dance moves kept the attention coming — the group haven't quite had it all their way. Carmit Bachar quit. Their reality series was canned. And Nicole Scherzinger — the group's only real singer — failed, rather publicly, to launch a solo career.

So for the girls' return, nobody's taking any chances. Superstar hitmakers Timbaland, Rodney "Darkchild" Jenkins, R Kelly, will.i.am and Ne-Yo line up alongside guest vocalists Missy Elliot and Snoop Dogg, and songwriters for Christina, Kylie, Akon and Usher.

That go for broke approach has just one problem: by hiring the same collaborators as everybody else, the Dolls sound just like everybody else — especially since Scherzinger's slight, auto-tuned voice lacks character.

So dirty electro lead single 'When I Grow Up' and the robotic 'Bottle Top' (with a bored cameo from Snoop) could be leftovers from Janet Jackson's cyberslut 'Discipline' album; grimy groove 'Whatcha Think About That' (featuring Elliot namechecking Katy Perry) and glitzy 'Magic' echoes Gwen Stefani circa 2005; and 'Takin' Over The World' is one strong vocal performance away from a Beyonce song.

But the Pussycats do show some growth. Weighing in at an excessive 18 songs, 'Doll Domination' shows they're less plastic than Barbie. Fragile ballad 'I Hate This Part', supposedly inspired by Sting and '80s arena rockers Journey, reveals real emotion; the sensitive 'Out Of This Club' is some of Kelly's strongest work since 'I Wish I Could Fly'; 'Halo' has a real heart beneath its '80s electro shimmer; and Ne-Yo's 'Happily Never After' is simply exquisite.

Still, these moments are rare amid the sweaty, suggestive strutting that is the default setting of these sex droids — and just about every other woman in R&B. With Britney and Beyonce on the way it's unlikely that this Doll domination will last long.