THE CHEETAH GIRLS [ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK]

Starting as a series of books about four diverse 16-year-olds from New York City who form their own girl group, The Cheetah Girls, morphed to the small screen thanks to the Disney Channel. This EP (at 20-minutes long its shorter than a full-length, longer than a CD-single) is that show's soundtrack, featuring eight tracks of catchy girl-pop. Racially mixed (Latino, black and white) and cute-as-buttons, the Cheetah Girls are fashioned a bit in the mode of Destiny's Child, and their themes are positive, their rhythms danceable and melodies catchy.

The four young actresses who lend their three dimensions to the fictional characters in the film perform four songs here, and they all demonstrate some serious musical chops. Two -- Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams -- are members of the platinum-selling pop R&B group 3LW (Three Little Women). The others are actresses Sabrina Bryan of the soap opera, The Bold & the Beautiful, and Raven, who played four-year-old Olivia Kendall on the The Cosby Show and stars on the Disney Channel's That's So Raven. And like a lot of actresses, these two are natural musical talents with great voices. In fact, Raven is a professional: she has two CDs to her credit and once opened for NSync.

The EP opens with the Cheetah Girls' very own theme song. Penned by Jamie Houston, who has writing credits for O-Town and Jessica Simpson, "The Cheetah Sisters" is what "Hey, Hey, We're the Monkees" was for another famous TV band. In it, all four girls trade lead vocals and sing background together. They sing about their unity, despite their different ethnic and economic backgrounds. "Our spots are different/ Different colors/ We make each other stronger/ That ain't ever gonna change." The inspirational music if full of encouragement and self-esteem. On the hip-hop influenced "Girl Power," penned by Christina Aguilera songwriter Ray Cham, The Cheetah Girls sing about the potential of teens everywhere, and overcoming obstacles.

The balance of the soundtrack is provided by young musical acts Sonic Chaos with hip-hop, Char with upbeat pop-R&B, Hope 7 with infectious Avril Lavigne-style girl punk, and Christi Mac with an electric guitar ballad.

For fans of the books, the movie, or just girl pop in general, The Cheetah Girls is a must.

By Todd Spencer