Back to pop world this week, but before we start our review let us take a look at the current landscape of the ever-present world of British pop: It has been a turbulent year in pop music; we witnessed the fall of the mighty Spice Girls, the disintegration of Boyzone and the break-up of All Saints. But all is not lost in “Bubble gum land.” Thanks to the UK’s music making machine, a new breed of pop artists has arrived to fill the void left by their predecessors. British acts such as A1, Westlife and the television spoof band, Hear’say have all stepped up to grab a piece of the action, and along with it the familiar chart battles and tabloid hell.

And here is where Atomic Kitten comes in. Founded in 1999 by Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark’s Andy McCluskey, Kerry Katona, Liz McLarnon and Natasha Hamilton hailed from Liverpool and were in search of an outlet to fulfill their popstar dreams. And they were barely out of their teens when they signed a record deal with Innocent Records in the summer of 1999, hence Atomic Kitten was born. The singles “Right Now” and “See Ya” were instant Top 10 hits in Europe and “Whole Again” reached No. 1 in the winter of 2001. They were mainstays on MTV Europe although such success did not go off without a hitch.

Kerry Katona announced to the press in September 2000 that she and Westlife’s Bryan McFaden were an item and were expecting a baby. Katona’s dislike for traveling led her to leave the group. In comes Jenny Frost from the pop band Precious to fill Katona’s shoes and she did so successfully, as her first single release with Atomic Kitten, — a cover of the 80s all girl group the Bangles— “Eternal Flame” went straight to No. 1.

This all brings us down the yellow brick road to the Kitten’s repackaged, revamped special edition album “Right Now.” With Kerry’s vocals redone by Jenny and a stronger more polished sound, “Right Now” can be described as a modern day disco album at its most extreme. From the title track, “Right Now” is a perfect example of what a diva (or group of divas) of this modern age should be.

Things slow down fairly quickly with “Follow Me.” Now this here is what I call a “lighter” song. It’s when people pull out their cigarette lighters and wave them around profusely until they can’t take the burning sensation anymore.

Now it’s no secret that when a pop group puts out an album, it’s a collection of songs they have chosen to perform, rather then a collection of songs they have written, but the inclusion of “Eternal Flame” baffles me since it doesn’t sound much different from the original except for the addition of a drum loop courtesy of the latest state of the art sampler.

The hardcore house/disco sound does eventually make its way back with “Turn Me On,” but it quickly slows down again with “Hippy.” Examining the lyrics, I find it difficult to see where the title has come from, however I will say “those damn hippys.”

For all you cry baby’s out there, you don’t go unnoticed. “Cradle” is the lovey dovey part of the album, that’s guaranteed to nourish your inner love.

To sum it up, this edition of “Right Now” is an improvement from the fist release, and if you like Atomic Kitten’s music, you will enjoy this album that is already a bona fide hit in Europe, and that’s the name of the game.

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(For more information on Atomic Kitten, go to www.atomickitten.com.)