The Cheetah Girls - Cheetah Girls 2 / O.S.T. (CD)

All Music Guide

Two years after the original Cheetah Girls movie, Galleria, Chanel, Aquanette and Dorinda return with The Cheetah Girls 2, a sequel and a fulllength soundtrack. The film's subtitle is "When in Spain," and exotic flourishes such as Spanish guitar and sweeping pianos color many of the album's tracks. While the entirely en Espanol feels a little forced, hints of this sound give songs like "Strut" and "Amigas Cheetahs" the feeling of being the greatgreatgranddaughters of Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" or the Spice Girls' "Spice Up Your Life." As expected, RayvenSimone dominates The Cheetah Girls, both in character as Cheetah Girl Galleria, and as herself. Despite the odd "Everyone's a Star" which shouts out to everyone from mailmen to lawyers to hairdressers and bouncers ("Bounce on with your bad selves"), her solo tracks and the Cheetah Girls' material sound a little more sophisticated this time around: The Girls' "The Party's Just Begun" and Symone's "Do Your Own Thing" have sleeker product...ions and harderhitting beats, while "It's Over" shows off the Girls' more mature pipes. Of course, this is all relative several tracks still suffer from the facelessness that plagues too many Disney teenpop productions. But, even if the Cheetah Girls won't be giving the Pussycat Dolls or the revamped Nelly Furtado a run for their money anytime soon, The Cheetah Girls 2 at least acknowledges that there's a more grownup world of pop music out there. - Heather Phares, All Music Guide Read more Less