Anywhere I Lay My Head

Another facet of Scarlett Johansson's talent

No doubt the fact that there are quite less actors than could be expected among those who have decided to try their hand at music only serves to hot up the interest to the splendid actress Scarlett Johansson's debut album. Never striving to follow the fashion requirements the artist has not taken an easy way in music either. As Scarlett has confessed herself she has always liked Tom Waits' creations, which explains that 10 out of 11 tracks of Anywhere I Lay My Head are covers on his songs and only one composition here is original. Definitely the actress has to thank producer Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio and David Bowie who collaborates on two songs for the success of the album. The work's result is really worthy of admiration: ghostly magic sounds created by Sitek fond of experimentation frame Johansson's unexpectedly deep and rather powerful vocals and as strange as it may seem the slow and melancholic tracks are listened at a breath, so as soon as record is finished you are eager to listen to it all over again. Certainly this brilliant debut is both inspiring and surprising and Scarlett herself has discovered another facet of her incomparable talent.

Mysterious, silent and wraparound Anywhere I Lay My Head

The guitar parties on Anywhere I Lay My Head are provided by Yeah Yeah Yeahs' guitarist Nick Zinner and as far as the rest of the accompaniment is concerned only Sitek himself can probably describe it. Naturally there is some resemblance between the album of TV On The Radio, Return To Cookie Mountain, and Scarlett's work but the atmospheres on the two records are completely different. Speaking about Anywhere I Lay My Head this is a collection of mysterious, silent and wraparound songs on each of which the actress is playing a special part. The album opens with a complicated instrumental introduction awakening the interest to what is to follow. Song Town With No Cheer immediately makes us submerge into Johansson and Sitek's enigmatic world creating an image of some town that is immersed in peace, while composition Falling Down performed with David Bowie is remarkable for a faster rhythm and a bit higher register. The title track could be called an example of meditation music due to soft drop sounds in the arrangement but Scarlett's low vocals combined with strange noises do not allow one to relax. Another composition featuring Bowie Fannin Street is probably one of its most beautiful cover versions among the existing ones, whereas the only original song here Song For Jo presents a great combination of Johansson's deep voice with an acoustic guitar and a remote orchestra. Childish bells in the accompaniment of I Wish I Was In New Orleans add to its dreamy atmosphere, while the most up-tempo on the record is I Don't Wanna Grow Up with the singer's vocals sounding especially interesting against the background of noises and almost a danceable beat. The album closes with song Who Are You on which Sitek joins the actress to make up the most unusual duet you have ever happened to hear.

Charm and intelligence in the splendid sonic extravagance

When Scarlett Johansson who this year only turns 24 appeared in her first movies there could hardly be any predictions that she would once release an album. Although her heroine did take a karaoke mike in Lost In Translation her singing was too poor to make one think anything of the kind. Nevertheless the creative person has made another significant step forward today and undoubtedly one can only envy her courage. Anywhere I Lay My Head is a luxurious urban album on which the actress' charm and intelligence are embodied in the splendid sonic extravagance. Tom Waits' songs have obtained an absolutely different form in the interpretation of the unique producer and a talented actress and now sound like some revived ghost of the past. Now the actress that has been recently acknowledged one of the sexiest woman on the planet by several well-known magazines can boast at least one album which is so successful that makes one want it to be just a beginning of something more substantial. Actually the only original song on Anywhere I Lay My Head lets us known that it is all quite possible.