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| Scarlett Johansson
Anywhere I Lay My Head
(Atco/Rhino; 2008)
By Heather Yarnell, June 2008
It shouldn't be a good sign when the opening track of a debut album doesn't feature a single contribution from the artist whose name is stamped on the cover. But then, Scarlett Johansson's Anywhere I Lay My Head is predominantly a producer's record. Shifting between brilliant ("Falling Down") to indisputably in over her head ("Town with No Cheer"), she's the least consistent part of the equation, but David Andrew Sitek (of TV on the Radio) refuses to allow Anywhere to ever become anything less than utterly fascinating. Besides one sole original track, it is comprised exclusively of Tom Waits covers, requiring Johansson to find new ways to interpret his distinct sound using an unconventional voice of her own. Johansson's voice is wisely folded inside the mix rather than laid on top of it, allowing it to melt into the atmosphere, made particularly effective when her whisper wafts through "No One Knows I'm Gone" like a voice on the wind. With help from a backing band that includes Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner and supporting vocals from David Bowie on two tracks, Johansson has found a way to make an interesting and unexpected foray into music.
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