Surprising debut from an actress turned singer

I was surprised to see this album from Scarlet Johansson, actress turned singer, of mostly Tom Waits covers. Surprised on several different levels. First, that Scarlet Johansson had made an album. Secondly, that it was an album of all Tom Waits covers with only one original. And finally, that among the performers on the album was none other than David Bowie on backing vocals. My first thought was "it must be nice to be a famous and hot actress who can just call up Bowie and Tom Waits and say let's make a record".

So when I gave it a first listen I wasn't expecting too very much, though I was impressed right off the bat that Johansson had good taste in music. The tracks chosen for the album, "Anywhere I Lay My Head", were mostly fairly obscure Waits tunes. As far as her vocal ability, I'd give her points for trying and not attempting to over-sing into the land of "American Idol", although at times she does sound forced. The production on the album is very lush and "wall of soundish". There are a lot of reverb-laden drums and synths and, as a whole, no real stand out instrumentation. It actually kind of sounds like karaoke, a bit. Albeit, nice karaoke. The tracks, "Falling Down" and "Fannin' Street", which feature David Bowie on vocal duties are stand outs. "Falling Down" is a rich soundscape complete with bells and even banjo. Scarlet does her best and delivers a decent rendition in her smoky and sexy voice. "Fannin' Street" is an even better vocal performance but even then she lacks emotion most of the time. The only original composition on the album, "Song For Jo", isn't much to write home about and leaves one wondering why she didn't just do another Waits tune. Tracks that are worth skipping all together are "I Don't Want To Grow Up" which really comes off karaoke-like and, not only sounds uninspired, but also features a very silly sounding drum machine and whisper refrain ala 80's gay bar music. As a whole though, Scarlet's debut album has grown on me a little and I find myself listening to "Falling Down" and a couple of the other tracks on a daily basis the past week or so. It's worth a listen. Just don't go in expecting much. I tried to prepare myself for the worst (Paris Hilton comes to mind) and I found myself pleasantly surprised. I don't think this record is going to make any kind of big splash but, then again, I'm sure she knew that when she decided to record it. Still, for fans of Tom Waits it serves as a fresh interpretation and, at its best moments, reminds me of Kendra Smith (Opal), Nico, and even Siouxsie for some reason.