Johansson is better in acting

Scarlet Johansson’s debut album is panned by critics. Anywhere I Lay My Head was released on May 20th and now most of musical critics think Johansson better focus on acting and forget about singing. Lost In Translation star recorded a collection of Tom Waits songs and has lately released her first single ‘Falling Down’, the video for which was directed by Oscar-nominated Capote filmmaker Bennett Miller.

Although some critics say the album wasn’t generally bad, numerous reviews of the album complained that Johansson’s vocals end up lost in the lush arrangements of producer David Andrew Sitek, the guitarist and keyboardist for the indie rock band TV On The Radio, Reuters reported yesterday.

According to Rolling Stone magazine:

Johansson’s voice is unremarkable and her pitch sometimes unsteady; she’s a faintly goth Marilyn Manson lost in a sonic fog.”

Britain’s Mojo magazine called the recordings “fussy and forgettable,” hissing off Johansson’s decision to begin the album with an instrumental as it was hardly a “vote of confidence in Johansson’s vocal abilities.”

Entertainment Weekly magazine called Scarlett’s voice “expressionless”, while the Washington Post said one could have “no earthly idea what she sounds like” after listening to all 40-something minutes of the album. “The album is ultimately too ethereal for its own good,” the issue added said. “Every song is like every other song, even the ones that sound different.”

The album consists of 11 tracks, all covers of Waits songs except for one original piece co-written by Johansson and Sitek. Two cuts feature David Bowie on backing vocals.

Anywhere I Lay My Head is not Johansson’s very first musical effort. She performed the George Gershwin standard Summertime on a 2006 charity album, Unexpected Dreams: Songs from the Stars. She later sang live with the band Jesus and Mary Chain at the Coachella Music Festival in California.

Though Johansson might not be the best singer and music genius, she’s a good actress, she’s pretty young woman, and she’s engaged to Ryan Reynolds. Isn’t that enough?

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