When I first heard Scarlett Johansson was releasing an album, I was skeptical of her talent. The only singing I’d ever heard her do was The Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket” in “Lost in Translation.” But then she recorded a rendition of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” for an album called “Unexpected Dreams,” a collection of songs from different actors. Her voice was both eloquent and sultry and she showed a lot of promise. I myself was surprised that Ms. Husky Voice could pull off a jazzy song. So when I heard she was doing a Tom Waits album, it seemed like a huge departure. Fast forward to now. Her album “Anywhere I Lay My Head” and video for “Falling Down” are all over the Internet and she’s become the most hated actress on the Web. Her husky voice doesn’t seem to make the cut for mainstream music listeners, which is understandable. Scarlett chose to bring her voice down to her lowest octave, possibly to make it less pretty and more haggard, like Waits. However, I kind of love it and I’m still not really sure why. Perhaps it’s the imperfectness of her voice or maybe it’s because she sounds a little like Fiona Apple and Courtney Love at their most organic. Whatever it is, I think it’s not as terrible as everyone says it is and I kind of respect her for not doing a pop album like everyone else. The music sounds so rough and raw and spiritual at the same time. However, judging from messageboards everywhere, I’m certainly in the minority. Here’s a taste of what I’m talking about. Here’s “Anywhere I Lay My Head” from her AOL Live session.
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