Anywhere I Lay My Head
Scarlett Johansson
ATCO Records
Release Date: May 20, 2008

Scarlett Johansson‘s first foray into music is through the songs of another artist. In her debut album, Anywhere I lay my head, Johansson decides to go the cover-tune route. With the help of producer Dave Sitek, Johansson brings together nine Tom Waits song and adds in an original song written by herself and Sitek for good measure. The big question though is, with so many actresses out there with albums, does Johansson’s album out shadow the rest?

I think the main question everyone wants answered is can Johansson sing? Well, after listening to the whole album, I can safely say I am still on the fence about that one. You really need to listen carefully to hear it. The whole album, arranged by Sitek, is so instrumentally driven and so electronically enhanced, that at times, Johansson seems to get lost in the shuffle in a number of songs. It feels as if Sitek is trying to mask or make up for Johansson’s shortcomings as a singer.