Music Review: Anywhere I Lay My Head
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this is an album of melancholy Tom
Waits classics that often times deals with some pretty heavy
issues, like alcoholism, abuse, and disillusionment. Mature
topics are never taken lightly and subject matter that is often
glamorized by pop culture, such as drinking, is explored in a
more pessimistic and complex fashion. Johansson's vocals
contribute the depressing tone on the album and although the
content is straightforward and there's nothing really
inappropriate for teens, this is definitely not a feel-good or
pick-me-up collection.
Families can talk about why Johansson decided to make this
album. She has received much criticism for her inexperienced
skills as a musician and vocalist. Why do you think she was
given the opportunity to make an entire album? Do you think a
bad album will hurt her acting career or provide her with more
publicity? Would the album receive the same amount of press if
a movie star wasn't singing?
Scarlet Johansson is a major fan of the moody and sardonic American icon Tom Waits, with his incomparable growling vocals and poetic songwriting. Many have covered his music before (Rod Stewart singing "Downtown Train," Bruce Springsteen covering "Jersey Girl"). Johansson takes 10 of Waits' lesser known songs and joins them together with her vocal treatment and the production power of Dave Sitek from the group TV on the Radio. Johansson wrote one original track, "Song for Jo," and David Bowie accompanies her on two songs.
If you start off with quality poetic lyrics, an album's sure to be a success, right? Well, covering songs by one of the greats of American songwriting, Tom Waits can be tricky business and it seems that ScarJo might be well over her head. When an artist covers another the assumption is that the new covers will reinvent -- or at least recapture -- the spirit of the songs. Unfortunately, Johansson's treatment is bogged down by over-production to the point where she's almost lost in the techno accompaniment. It's easy to jump on the Johansson-bashing bandwagon; nearly every critic has dissed the album, but there's an atmosphere to a few of the tracks that will linger with the listener, such as the moody title track or the hauntingly poppy "I Don't Wanna Grow Up." But the languishing vibe of the album never changes, and as a whole, listeners will probably feel like they are stuck in a monotonous fog of dreary vocals.
RadioheadDeath Cab for Cutie
Eddie Vedder
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