Scarlett Johansson- Anywhere I Lay My Head
October 13th 2008 09:49
Scarlett Johansson- Anywhere I Lay My Head
Year: 2008
Record Label: ATCO
Track Listing:
01. Fawn
02. Town With No Cheer
03. Falling Down
04. Anywhere I Lay My Head
05. Fannin Street
06. Song For Jo
07. Green Grass
08. I Wish I Was In New Orleans
09. I Don’t Wanna Grow Up
10. No One Knows Where I’ve Gone
11. Who Are You
What does a talented young actress with a smoky voice do during a break in between films? If you’re Scarlett Johansson you make an album of Tom Waits covers.
Now Tom Waits songs aren’t exactly the easiest songs to cover even for the most experienced singer, let alone a novice on her first attempt.
There’s always a thin line between actors and musicians. Actors always seem to want to
sing, and singers seem to want to act. They never seem happy with what they can successfully do. An actor making an album these days seems to be pretty easy, but let’s face it just because you have the spare time and money to make an album, it doesn’t mean they should.
Some actresses have successfully crossed over, and the first one that comes to mind is Jennifer Lopez. Whether we like her or not, she has managed to forge a successful music career for herself, as well as establish herself as an actress. Scarlett Johansson, however, will not.
Anywhere I Lay My Head sees her take on Tom Waits, and while you have to admire her courage for taking on the maestro, her vocals are more often than not drowned out by the musical arrangement. While she has a distinctive tone, her range is limited and her voice sounds more often than not low and masculine.
Not even the presence of David Bowie singing backup vocals on ‘Fannin Street’ and ‘Falling Down’ can save this album.
You’ve got to give some credit to the fact that Johansson obviously has a fondness for Waits’ music, and has more than a passing familiarity with it. You can’t help but think that perhaps the track listing chosen are some of her own personal favourites.
Credit must also go David Stirek for attempting to cover the inadequacies of Johansson’s voice by covering them with bells, saxophones, and ambient guitars. While this is all good for the first couple of songs, after a while the sound is repetitive and track such as ‘Green Grass’ are just plain dreadful.
Probably the only song that stands out for me is ‘I Wish I Was In New Orleans’. With it’s nursery rhyme style of chiming musical boxes and tinkles, the song is endearing and almost has you believing that Johansson can sing well.
Alas, not for long though. Scarlett Johansson may be a great actress, but as a singer she is barely passable.
I give it 1/5
Buy Scarlett Johansson
Year: 2008
Record Label: ATCO
Track Listing:
01. Fawn
02. Town With No Cheer
03. Falling Down
04. Anywhere I Lay My Head
05. Fannin Street
06. Song For Jo
07. Green Grass
08. I Wish I Was In New Orleans
09. I Don’t Wanna Grow Up
10. No One Knows Where I’ve Gone
11. Who Are You
What does a talented young actress with a smoky voice do during a break in between films? If you’re Scarlett Johansson you make an album of Tom Waits covers.
Now Tom Waits songs aren’t exactly the easiest songs to cover even for the most experienced singer, let alone a novice on her first attempt.
There’s always a thin line between actors and musicians. Actors always seem to want to
Some actresses have successfully crossed over, and the first one that comes to mind is Jennifer Lopez. Whether we like her or not, she has managed to forge a successful music career for herself, as well as establish herself as an actress. Scarlett Johansson, however, will not.
Anywhere I Lay My Head sees her take on Tom Waits, and while you have to admire her courage for taking on the maestro, her vocals are more often than not drowned out by the musical arrangement. While she has a distinctive tone, her range is limited and her voice sounds more often than not low and masculine.
Not even the presence of David Bowie singing backup vocals on ‘Fannin Street’ and ‘Falling Down’ can save this album.
You’ve got to give some credit to the fact that Johansson obviously has a fondness for Waits’ music, and has more than a passing familiarity with it. You can’t help but think that perhaps the track listing chosen are some of her own personal favourites.
Credit must also go David Stirek for attempting to cover the inadequacies of Johansson’s voice by covering them with bells, saxophones, and ambient guitars. While this is all good for the first couple of songs, after a while the sound is repetitive and track such as ‘Green Grass’ are just plain dreadful.
Probably the only song that stands out for me is ‘I Wish I Was In New Orleans’. With it’s nursery rhyme style of chiming musical boxes and tinkles, the song is endearing and almost has you believing that Johansson can sing well.
Alas, not for long though. Scarlett Johansson may be a great actress, but as a singer she is barely passable.
I give it 1/5
Buy Scarlett Johansson
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