The suits behind P.Y.T. were bound for failure when they dressed up four pre-pubescent Britney clones in a prepackaged hybrid of watered-down hip-hop beats and a pop sensibility that’s got one foot in its grave. “Same Ol’ Same Ol’” is safely just that, but it’s far too edgy to fit in on TRL and way too poppy (read: white) to ever be accepted by urban radio. With its slick production and rapid-fire vocals, “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” is a hollow carbon copy of the already-tired formula Destiny’s Child have made so popular. P.Y.T. (an acronym for “Prove Yourself True,” not “Pretty Young Thing”) adds nothing unique to the mix and ultimately render themselves the lowest common denominator. The album’s lyrics are laughable at best (and ridiculously peer-friendly): “I see your album in the Billboard, your videos on TRL…Hit me one more time!” “Simple Things” oversimplifies love like only a 15-year-old could (“We started as lovers with devotion and love/Now the china is broken, life’s tough”) and the track “Ain’t No Ifs Ands or Buts About It” wins the award for the most preposterous song title of the year. Yet P.Y.T.’s producers aren’t exactly amateurs; “I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)” is sweetly retro and its refrain is instantly memorable (no doubt due to veteran Teddy Riley’s songwriting contribution). But ladies, if you’re lucky enough to earn a few bucks off of this, start saving up for that PhD.
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