OMG Oh My God! Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating
EXPECTATIONS
Releasing singles isn't really a trend in Bollywood. Though out there in West artists do release just a single song of theirs in a CD, an experiment like this has seen only an on and off emergence. OMG Oh My God! tried that with composer Himesh Reshammiya and lyricist Shabbir Ahmed who came together for the single 'Go Go Govinda'. While the song is already a chartbuster, the entire album has now been released with added songs.
MUSIC
The album kick-starts with 'Don't Worry (Hey Ram) ' which is easily amongst the top catch-n-smash numbers of the year so far. In fact it won't be wrong to say that if even though Akshay Kumar has enjoyed chartbusters in the form of 'Chinta Ta Ta' [Rowdy Rathore] and 'Pappa' [Housefull 2], this one will cover a much greater distance than the aforementioned tracks. A club track that also camouflages devotional elements without making it apparent, 'Don't Worry (Hey Ram)' has superb beats and rendition by Benny Dayal, Himesh Reshammiya and Arya Acharya who give a rollicking start to the album.
There aren't too many songs where one actually looks forward to the 'remix' but this is one of those songs that deserve another version for itself. Written by Subrat Sinha, 'Don't Worry (Hey Ram)' has in it to find its way into discotheques in quick time. Add to that the fact that Akshay Kumar would be featuring in this song (as Krishna) and you know that this is going to be yet another huge musical outing for him after Pritam's 'Hare Krishna Hare Rama' [Bhool Bhulaiyaa]. Not to mention the signature tune of 'Dum Maro Dum' that accompanies the song right through to give it an addictive appeal.
It is due to such terrific start that when 'Mere Nishaan' by guest composers 'Anjjan - Meet Bros' arrives next, there is a sudden shift in mood. A pensive track written by Kumaar which narrates the predicament of God who is trying to find a meaning in His own creations, this Kailash Kher sung number (who also gets support from Anjjan - Meet Bros behind the mike) has a slow pace to it and is strictly situational. Though the composition isn't bad by any means, one just expected the album to continue the same momentum as created by 'Don't Worry (Hey Ram)'.
Thankfully that does happen to a good extent as Himesh Reshammiya comes back to the scene with 'Tu Hi Tu'. Though one is reminded of Justin Bieber's 'Baby' during a small portion of the opening line of the song, 'Tu Hi Tu' comes to it's own in a matter of seconds. A feel-good song about the presence of God in every moment of life, this one us yet again composed and arranged in such a way that if the chant of 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna' wouldn't have been included, it could well have passed off for a romantic number.
Written by Sameer, 'Tu Hi Tu' arrives in as many as four versions. While Mohd. Irfan gets to sing the original and remix version (and does rather well), the 'reprise' version by Suraj Jagan only consolidates the song's appeal further. The singer, who has been demonstrating good versatility over the years, is good again and by the time he is followed by Ash King's 'unplugged version', you know that the song has managed to hook you on. Now one waits to see how the song is included in the film because going by the multiple versions, one expects it to appear quite frequently in the narrative.
One can well see the makers being quite excited about the song's prospect as an instrumental of 'Tu Hi Tu' also appears in a shorter 90 seconds version titled 'Oh My God (Sound Track) '. Later, there is 'Krishna Theme' composed by Anjjan - Meet Bros who do rather well in this classical outing where Parash Nath does the trick with the flute.
Meanwhile Shabbir Ahmed written 'Go Go Govinda' arrives a little later in the day which has the usual suspect Mika Singh taking the honours for this full-on 'masti' and 'mazaa' track. The song has been all over the entertainment channels and for the right reasons too. With addictive beats doing the trick and pace being just perfect for a celebration number, 'Go Go Govinda' could have been one of those countless 'Govinda' songs if not for Shreya Ghoshal. She brings just the right spunk in this highly energetic number and makes it her own despite Mika's presence in the song.
Also, it is good to see Himesh Reshammiya presenting something different from what is otherwise expected from him in regular romantic outings. He ensures that not just is the composition lively, the arrangements too compliment it well to ensure that the song is addictive in a single listening itself. Rest is taken care by Sonakshi Sinha and Prabhudheva who do well in inviting you to the floors with the kind of dance moves that keep you interested right through the proceedings. Later the 'reprise' version is an added bonus with newcomer Aman Trikha bringing a different flavour with his voice and doing good justice.
Last song in the album is 'Hari Bol' which is based on Gujarati folk and has Kirti Sagathia doing the honours. It is surprising to see Sachin-Jigar as the chosen ones for this song as they create something different when compared to their work from the past and churn out a heavy-on-beats and fast paced number. Written by Swanand Kirkire, it is a situational track and should be featuring Paresh Rawal in the middle of affairs.
OVERALL
For a film that is totally different from quintessential Bollywood entertainers, OMG - Oh My God' turns out to be a good album which has at least two chartbusters that would propel its fortunes. While 'Go Go Govinda' is already a hit, what would elevate the album's position in the charts is 'Don't Worry (Hey Ram)' which is all set to be huge. Moreover 'Tu Hi Tu' has a nice melody to it as well which should find good favour amongst the audience, hence ensuring that as an album OMG Oh My God! turns out to be a winner.
OUR PICK(S)
Don't Worry (Hey Ram), Go Go Govinda, Tu Hi Tu
