Scarlett Johansson
Anywhere I Lay My Head (Rhino)
And
they kinda pulled it off. No kidding. Sitek’s arrangements (for songs that were
pretty much perfect to begin with) are mostly inspired, with the ’80s style
echo-drenched textures of the production smartly avoiding most of the indulgent
clichés of such a sound. David Bowie lends his voice to two tracks, turning out
a charming Beach Boys-esque dum-de-do-wah choral on “
On
the other hand, Johansson can’t really sing (but then some might say the same
about Waits). She sounds pleasant enough. She keeps her baritone to a sultry
whisper, which suits the path she and Sitek chose for these songs. Then again,
there’s the title track—originally one of Waits’ most heart-wrenching vocal
performances—which didn’t really need a Casio bossa nova beat.
And
that begs the question: Did these songs need
any sort of makeover? No. But unlike most full-fledged tribute albums or
actress-turned-singer albums, this at least sounds
like more than a novelty item. It’s actually a shame that, in 10 years’ time,
that’s inevitably how it’ll come to be remembered.
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