How does a hard-nosed music critic begin a review of a manufactured bubblegum pop all-girl group? Well, I suppose he should begin by sharpening his literary claws and preparing for attack. He should certainly not secretly enjoy himself while listening to The Pipettes and begin tapping his feet uncontrollably. He should not start dancing in his office swivel-chair. He should never sing along, and should never, ever, clap along.

The awful truth about reviewing UK trio The Pipettes' debut album, "We Are the Pipettes", is that listening to this irresistibly catchy retro 60's girl pop, reminiscent of The Ronettes and The Supremes, will eventually soak beneath your skin and cause some troublesome head bobbing.

It's cheap, it's gimmicky, but it's also disturbingly irresistible. Perhaps I'm just a sucker for melody, but this album is a nostalgic return to the innocent days of melody based pop music. It's pure fun, well orchestrated, well written, harmonised perfectly, and manufactured to within an inch of its life. Everything about The Pipettes is referential, keenly executed, and masterfully packaged. And of course any serious music review wouldn't be complete without mentioning that these three girls are steaming, piping HOT, as revealed by some in-depth internet research.

So let's take a look at the songs. Surprise, surprise, the subject matter is almost exclusively boy-girl romance. Lyrically and musically very simple, The Pipettes combine 60's doo-wop, Motown, disco and dance, with modern pop production to produce a pretty unique, albeit derivative, sound. Pull Shapes, with its disco orchestration, thumping 60's beat, and participatory lyrics, "I lead with my left hand...I stomp with the right foot", almost sounds like a kids' dance album. Indeed, like their hero Phil Spector, I get the impression that The Pipettes are aiming at a fairly young audience.

Indeed, most of "We Are the Pipettes" is clearly written to get people dancing. Optimistic, fast-moving, and with a strong beat, tracks like It Hurts to See You Dance So Well are a successful combination of melody and rhythm.

These girls have nice voices, and the harmonies are beautifully placed. The instrumentation (assumedly completed by session musicians) is spot-on, and the songs are all pretty appealing the whole way through. Like Phil Spector, producer and mastermind Monster Bobby clearly has a knack for marketing to teens, and intends on reviving the importance of kitschy costuming in pop music.

There's no chance in hell I'd admit to my friends that I like this. This is the kind of music you dance in your bedroom to, when nobody is looking. Not that I would ever do that. It seems I'm at a severe disadvantage being quite enamoured by the distinctive British accents evident throughout the album. Such an obviously manufactured and marketed band should grate with me, but, I must give credit where credit is due - these girls are very good at what they do, and it's difficult not to fall for it, hook, line and sinker.

Ambitious, simple, appealing, and indeed wielding quite a unique sound in today's hip-hop saturated pop market, The Pipettes are cashing in on the retro rash and doing a pretty good job of it. And of course they get extra points for the mini-skirts.