Anywhere I Lay My Head
by Scarlett Johansson
  • Record Label: Atco
  • Release Date: May 20, 2008
User Score
6.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 57 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 57
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 57
  3. Negative: 15 out of 57

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. JaredH
    Jun 1, 2008
    6
    Having listened to this album once through, I can say that it is not nearly as bad I would have guessed or the critics would lead me to believe. Sure she is not a great singer but its def a cool project with an interesting combination of artists and worth a listen.
  2. ChadS.
    May 25, 2008
    6
    Truth is, Scarlett Johansson could've recorded a hand-picked collection of beloved Roxette songs, and I'd still buy it. I was hoping for the best. The cover reminded me of the Michel Gondry-directed "Human Behavior" video for Bjork. If only she had a voice like Bjork, or at the very least, Marianne Faithful. Tactfully put, her voice is perfunctory. Strictly heard as a curio Truth is, Scarlett Johansson could've recorded a hand-picked collection of beloved Roxette songs, and I'd still buy it. I was hoping for the best. The cover reminded me of the Michel Gondry-directed "Human Behavior" video for Bjork. If only she had a voice like Bjork, or at the very least, Marianne Faithful. Tactfully put, her voice is perfunctory. Strictly heard as a curio though, the vanity project of a talented, but uneven actress(memorable in Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation", dreadful in Brian DePalma's "The Black Dahlia"), "Anywhere I Lay My Head" isn't without its modest triumphs, in particular, "Falling Down" and "Fannin Street". "I Don't Wanna Grow Up" is the cd's bid for mainstream alternative radio airplay, and it's okay, but Johansson and her collaborator from TV on the Radio would've been better off recording "Downtown Train" or "The Heart of Saturday Night". "Downtown Train" is the gateway song for Tom Waits neophytes. If "Anywhere I Lay my Head" was my first exposure to Waits, I wouldn't understand why he's such a big deal. "Downtown Train" is an indestructible song. Since Johansson's vocal is buried so deep in the mix, the "Rain Dogs" standout wouldn't be hampered, because it's one of Waits' more dynamically melodic songs. Everybody now, "You wave your hand and they scatter like crows/They have nothing that will ever capture your heart/They're just thorns without the rose/Be careful of them in the dark...… Expand

Awards & Rankings

68
#68 Most Discussed Album of 2008
61
#61 Most Shared Album of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 35
  3. Negative: 2 out of 35
  1. Q Magazine
    60
    The album is fine enough, undeniably modish and much better than you might anticipate. [June 2008, p.136]
  2. Mojo
    40
    Much of this album's re-booting of Waits' back pages in an ambient '80s style is fussy and forgettable. [June 2008, p.112]
  3. NOW Magazine
    20
    Sitek attempts to do Johansson (and us) a favour by burying her monotonous voice deep in the mix, but unfortunately, the musical support isn’t interesting enough to carry the album. Skip it.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »