Ram Gopal Varma is known for encouraging new talent and Go is no exception. The film has been directed by first timer Manish Srivastav and even features a new hero opposite Ramu discovery Nisha Kothari. The music of Go also sees newcomer Sneha Khanwalkar composing with a little help from Amar Mohile and Prasanna Shekhar. The composer has experimented with various kinds of sounds and genres and at places she has got it right as in the opening track.
The most striking feature of the album is the names of the songs. Sample—Ooops, Go, Cool, Dhan Tan Tan. That kind of prepares one for the kind of musical onslaught that one is about to be faced with and it does get quite noisy at times. While one can give Khanwalkar full marks for effort and enthusiasm, she doesn't score too high on the musical talent front but for the opening number, which is really the best in this album.
Kaash, the opening track of Go, has been rendered by Farhad Bhiwandiwala and Priyadashani. Composed by Khanwalkar and Prasanna, the number has a lovely overture which is totally inspired from Western classical music. Both singers catch the mood of the song very well and render it in suitably low, husky tones. Kash has a kind of sizzle to it and it should be interesting to watch how the number is translated on screen. There is a remix version as well, but that doesn't really add further sizzle to the number. The number, however is not very catchy a so the chances of it becoming a chartbuster are dim but it will still remain the best from the album. The best thing about this number is the control that the composers exhibit, vis-à-vis their musical sensibilities. Everything is just as it should be.
The next number is one called Oooh sung by Vinod Rathod and Sunidhi Chauhan. It is a peculiar song which is punctuated by the sound "Oooh' at intervals. The lyrics are quite inane and the music is loud as is the singing. But the singers, Rathod and Sunidhi catch the mood of the song well in their rendition and impart the right amount of pep to the song. Besides the Ooohs, there are other moans and shrieks in the song which add to the mad mood that prevails in the song. So there is a kind of mad confusion which is given full rein by Rathod and Sunidhi. Mohile remixes the track but fails to add any spark to the song or give it a new dimension. But one suspects that Oooh is an example of Khanwalkar's enthusiasm getting the better of her again.
The title track, Go, arrives with a lot of fanfare. The prelude to the song is racy and carries with it a kind of suspense. But what arrives is a lot of musical confusion with the threesome of Kunal Ganjawala, Meenal Jain and Suzanne pitching in to. It is low on melody but high on enthusiasim again. The composer uses various instruments to play around the word "Go.' Ganjawala has definitely seen better days. He is not able to make the song his own and neither are the other two singers. Cool, also sung by Ganjawala and Suzanne, is a little better. The noise quotient is less and so musically the number works. The song has a decided youthful feel to it and the singers are able to deliver.
Dhan Tan Tan follows in the same vein. It is high on orchestration and the result is again not very musical. Sneha, the composer, seems to have gone a little over the top, as she joins vocals with Ganjawala. The melody seems to be lost due to the heavy use of instrumentals. The song could have done with a little more pruning, in terms of the number of sounds that have been used. But its remixed attempt by DJ Aqeel is quite commendable. He manages to give the song a little more style.
Ram Gopal Verma's generosity and courage in giving raw newcomers a break is truly commendable. He's not really to blame for the hiccups that are present in this album. New composer Sneha Khanwalkar shows promise but needs to get a little more grounded with her music. She should have the confidence to rely on her melody and not always go for the kill with heavy use of instruments. But this is something which she will probably acquire with experience. However, she has managed to catch the mood of the film well and each of the song displays that peppy, youthful spirit.
