Scarlett Johansson CD review

Scarlett Johansson
Anywhere I Lay My Head
Atco/Rhino

You can’t blame Scarlett Johansson for trying. You get the sense she was trying to set a mood with her album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, with the opening track, "Fawn," a church-organ instrumental that slowly builds into a horn-filled inferno. In fact, her vocals don’t chime in until 3 1/2 minutes have passed, almost as though she’s forcing those who are curious or just eager to slam her voice to sit and be patient.

Actors and actresses have long desired to cross over into the music realm. Some attempts, such as She & Him, with Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, succeed, but they’re few and far between. Perhaps the stakes weren’t as high for Deschanel and Ward, as neither was as well-known as Johansson. Unfortunately, Johansson had two things against her from the start. One, she’s a very popular actress who gets top billing and plenty of exposure in the tabloids. Two, she’s doing an entire album of Tom Waits covers, with the exception of the track “Song for Jo,” which she co-wrote.

For the most part, Anywhere I Lay My Head works. If you’re able to listen to this album with an open mind, knowing that these covers aren’t going to stick to any sort of manuscript, then you’ll walk away pleased. The problem is that either the producer or Johansson herself didn’t have enough faith in her voice and completely buried it in the background. Anyone could have sung these songs, which is a blessing and a curse.

It’s the type of album that could play in the background of a get-together as people ask, "Who is this?" with a grins on their faces. They would more than likely be enjoying what they’re hearing, and only when you answered with, "Oh, it’s the new Scarlett Johansson CD" would they suddenly make the "I just sucked on a lemon" face.

It’s a damn shame, because a lot of these songs work well as reimagined covers. She takes the gritty and cranky "I Don’t Want To Grow Up" and turns it into a light pop tune complete with a dance beat. It’s catchy and different enough that it actually works. As does the title track, where a little preprogrammed loop goes a long way. Johansson especially shines on "Falling Down," where she provides some much-needed passion behind her vocals.

Some songs, such as "Green Grass," are hard to listen to in a drastically different style like this, because they were perfect in their original form. But you get a sense she picked each song because they were personal favorites. The track listing isn’t filled with Waits’ more popular tunes, and most are chosen off his later releases. In the end, you just wish she had given the album more of an identity of her own, instead of just hiding behind the heavy production.
— Travis Fox { special to ink }

Check out the video for "Falling Down"