I'm a year late, but I'm listening to this Scarlett Johansson album. So weird to hear her doing Tom Waits. Anyway, I got taken in by Dave Sitek's production. Anyone else heard this? I'm just forming an opinion as I'm only halfway through my first solid listening. I like the music. I'm very undecided about her voice. I keep compering her to Karen O...
Anyway, here's a sample.
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
Copyright © 2009 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved.
Yeah...no.
Tom Waits is like Stevie Wonder, in that it takes an exceptional person to reinterpret their work. Scarlett ain't cuttin' it. Listen to the entire album a couple of times, and her voice begins to sink into a flirty, empty drone. "Fannin Street" hurts even more because David Bowie sings background on it. He's encouraging this woman's sad delusion that she's a musician.
I find that his earlier work (say, pre-Swordfishtrombones) can be covered pretty well, but anything after that tends to sound like a pale imitation.
I don't know if you can cover anything on Blue Valentine. Not even Somewhere. I was watching West Side Story a few weeks ago and as far as I'm concerned, you can't even perform Somewhere even if you're in a production of West Side Story. Now, Tony and Maria just have to stand on stage and talk about finding a place for themselves.
You need to hear Moxy Früvous do "Jockey Full of Bourbon." With accordion.
I'm going to disagree somewhat about the coverability of Tom Waits. As anyone who's watched The Wire will probably agree, The Blind Boys of Alabama do "Way Down in the Hole" a lot better than Tom himself (granted, he kind of punts that song on Franks Wild Years if you ask me. He does it in this oddly monotone way which seems almost like someone imitating Tom Waits rather than the man himself.). Almost anything off of Mule Variations can be done well by the right group - I heard a version of "Come on up to the House" on Prairie Home Companion a while ago and it was great. "Hold On" practically begs to be covered by Bruce Springsteen.
Compare the record of Tom Waits covers to, say, Bob Dylan or Cat Stevens. Just about every cover I hear of their songs is terrible, because whoever covers them seems to have no clue about what the lyrics mean and thus can't get the stresses on the syllables right. Sheryl Crow's "First Cut is the Deepest" is pure pain to listen to. There is some wretched cover of "Tuesday's Dead" out now, too.* I have no idea how it even got released (The flip side to the problem of bad Cat Steven's covers is that when he sings a lot of them now as Yusuf Islam, they are better than ever. "Peace Train" is as if he understands how the song should be sung is more clearly then when he wrote it. His new songs aren't great, his re-recordings of old stuff are largely fantastic). Or listen to most Joni Mitchell cover, for that matter. With Waits, a pretty fair number of the songs can be understood well enough for a musician of at least average skill to do well.
That said, I emphatically agree that Scarlett Johansson is the wrong person to do it. I find her singing and acting very flat. I just don't think she's very good.
Yeah, I've been avoiding even thinking about this project since I heard about it like two years ago. Because everytime I think about it, I get this terrible headache that last for six weeks. Thanks TNC. Thanks a lot.
The entire album is just okay, IMO, but I really like this song. I also like her voice. But I was never a huge Tom Waits fan so this doesn't really offend me. Now, if she would have decided to make a whole album of Van Morrison songs, I'd probably feel the same way as BabylonSista. But yeah, I also checked it out because Sitek produced it. Either he was trying to sleep with Johansson, or he thought enough of her to make an album with her. Either way, I don't blame Johansson for doing it.
This is basically my opinion so far. It's okay, though I'm not particularly warming to he voice.
Her voice is flat and uninteresting. basically, it is teh suxor.
Yeah, which is why I think the Karen O comparison is a bit unfair. Karen O may or may not be a great technical singer, but her voice comes through great in the studio and live. Scarlett doesn't need to compete with Karen O, but she couldn't if she had to (and I wouldn't be surprised if Scarlett would own up to that).
One question: What is the probability this voice would be on a widely released album if she were not already super famous? Answer:.0000000000001.
To make things worse, we have a video which shows us more and more of , wait for it..., Johannsen -- or should I say Narcissus.
This music is a huge slap in the face to the large numbers of people out there with a mllion times more talent who have been busting their humps for years to get a break.
yeah this...Charlotte Hatherley probably wants to choke her.
It's funny that she revived Pete Yorn's career. Never understood why he wasn't more popular.
It's funny that people have a much bigger problem with actors doing music than they do with musicians doing acting. I don't remember anyone crying for actors when RZA got a good part in American Gangster. (For the record, I like RZA as an actor, but that might just be because he's my favorite Wu Tang member)
Well...Sam Jackson made a lot of noise over this one. I think there are quite a few people who resent this--but, from what I can tell, they tend to be actors themselves.
Yeah, you're right about Sam Jackson. I do remember him talking about it. I think people generally feel this way because music seems much more personal than being in a blockbuster movie. Especially in the case of someone covering a legend like Waits.
Yup. Please don't mention Beyonce's movie career to actresses like Nia Long or Sanaa Lathan or Gabrielle Union. They cringe. Especially since decent movie roles are so scarce for them -- and B. is getting parts without having to even audition.
I remember when Sam Jackson did that but the thing that I remembered the most was when Ice-T was asked about it and he said something like:
"You know, I have so much respect for Sam Jackson - I have so much love for the cat because of what he does - that its impossible for me to say anything bad about him. I'll tel you this. If he put out a rap album, I would buy it."
which amused me for weeks.
Sam made a HUGE fuss over having to validate "some rapper" who couldn't act and got the part largely because of their success as a rapper (think 50 Cent). He complained that they didn't take time to master the craft and were taking the job of some more deserving actor busting his/her anus paying their dues. I think the RZA could be argued an exception. He's been surprisingly good in his roles.
Again though, Sam is a singer. I don't doubt that other actors resent it. I'm talking more about people like us. People that comment on blogs.
I'm probably (definitely) in the minority but I liked this version better than the original. The original's rawer and suits the intent of the lyrics better but this version's so lush. I'm a fan of lush. This reminds me of Migala's Arde, which is a phenomenal album I think you'll like. Better vocals, if that's your thing, but just as atmospheric.
Go on and take a swig of that poison and like it
And don’t ask for silverware, don’t ask for nothing
Now that's some lyric eh? I think Scarlett Johansson probably covered it because her name's in the first verse.
Gotta agree with Steve on this matter. This is much the same, to me, as why Lindsey Lohan was able to have a CD or two.
Imo, she shouldn't make a habit of this. There are artists that can sing, dance, and act. Mrs. Reynolds can DEFinitely act. Sing.....where she might want consideration and respect on a global basis for that ability....noooot so much (along those lines....could SOMEone PLEASE explain Lady Gaga to me???) Having said that...
She has put it out there for a variety of kinds of critiques to occur. Takes some guts to do that.
I just watched the latest Gaga video and I think it is hilarious. I have no idea what she is trying to say and don't really care, but I think it's very entertaining -- the ending scene is completely unforgettable.
Lady Gaga is a talented singer of dance/club music who has a penchant for performance art in the costume department.
Does that help?
Not digging her voice on this track, actually like it better on the album she did with Pete Yorn.
I think my problem with it is the same problem I have with her face in so many pictures I see of her: it's vacuous, and empty, and not empty in the sense of acting or reaching for an intentionally bleak voice - just plain empty. Like the person/soul in there was scooped out and nothing left in its place.
Still, that damn Relator song is catchy. I think the production on her voice helps it a lot there, gives it enough of a sense of false interest to distract me from focusing on what it lacks.
I have absolutely no desire to spend any time with this record. And I have a gargantuan crush on the lady herself - I fairly swooned when I once saw her down on Avenue B in the LES.
She's not bad, I suppose. Strikes me as sort of just... there. But yeah, there's too much great, thought-provoking music out there for me to concern myself with her beyond the acting and, uhm, as Ghostface once so eloquently put it, physical degree.
Scarlett is gorgeous and an interesting actress.
Singer, not so much.
If you want to hear someone with true musical talent I suggest Nellie McKay.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15963920
Just check out the NPR archives for more of her work.
I was damn near in love with her for a while because she reminded me of my first love.
The proof in the pudding is in the eating. Lots of singers/recording artists have successfully crossed over into acting, from big stars like Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, and Will Smith to character actors like Jerry Reed, Isaac Hayes, John Doe (not to mention Tom Waits!).
Whereas I can't think of a single actor who crossed over from (non-musical) drama to music, though many have tried and it was almost always terrible. Ricky Nelson, there's one, and he was a child actor, son of a bandleader, and didn't act after becoming a recording star.
Speaking of which, here's Eddie Murphy.
I'm not a 30 Seconds to Mars fan by any means, but Jared Leto has achieved some moderate success.
I loved John Doe in Road House.
Jamie Foxx?
But people forget (or don't know) that Jamie was singing (and flopped) first. He has an album that dropped before his In Living Color Days (hard to find).
Zooey Deschanel is in She & Him (with M. Ward) and is fantastic. Much better than Scarlett Johanssen doing terrible things to Tom Waits.
Gwyneth Paltrow's duet with Huey Lewis wasn't exactly awe-inspiring but I thought it was okay, if not a little sappy. Still, it got her some recording contract offers.
Some are more successful than others, but I always give them the benefit of the doubt and wish them well. I feel like they can't help it - a lot of creative people are creative at more than one thing and want to express that. Lots of actors paint or write, too.
Megalist of actors who tried to sing
With all due respect, don't you think that list is kind of crap though? It puts well-known actors who made one horrible album out of ego right next to singers who have sold million of albums and won singing awards, just because the singers have done a little acting beforehand.
Yeah, there are some ringers: people who were singers first, such as Jim Nabors, TV's Gomer Pyle, who had a concert quality baritone voice, or the Disney performers from Annette Funicello to Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera, who were hired to sing and dance more than for their dramatic skills. Or who had trivial, small-market acting careers (Kylie Minogue, Alanis Morrisette) before they made it big as singers. The acting careers of some of them (Eartha Kitt, Mandy Patinkin, Joel Grey) included musicals.
But surely there's gold on that page nonetheless. Presumably everyone knows about Keanu Reaves, Russell Crowe, Billy Bob Thornton. But Danny Aiello? The dad from Seventh Heaven? Both guys from The Dukes of Hazzard? Then again, those aren't the worst cases, some of those guys would have been not so much cashing in on their acting fame as looking for a 16th minute of fame. That still leaves Jeff Bridges, Kevin Costner, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey, Minnie Driver, Clint Eastwood (!!!), Nicole Kidman, Robert Mitchum, Eddie Murphy, Joe Pesci, and many more with no conceivable excuse.
Maybe it's just that it is much easier to be a mediocre actor, but being even a decent singer is much more difficult.
Nobody's mentioned Shatner! His cover of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" was epic!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB3uVARNhmM
Sacrilege. Scarlet Johannson is to be seen, not heard.
Speaking of music, I've meant to recommend Bon Iver to you TNC. You've probably heard him or someone has already talked about it on these boards. I think you'd really like him. He kind of reminds me of one of the guys from TV on the Radio. He has really hit the indie mainstream, you shouldn't have trouble finding out about him. I haven't come across anyone who dislikes the song "Skinny Love" from his first album. http://hypem.com/search/skinny%20love/1/
For actresses doing music I prefer Zooey Deschanel
http://www.amazon.com/One-She-Him/dp/B0012IWHQO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1257975216&sr=8-1-spell
I think she is hotter than Scarlett too but maybe that is just me:-)
I so wanted that album to be good. And it is... comparatively, but it's just not awesome for me.
I dig the (faux?) retro-country voice she's got going, and hope there is a second album to improve upon the first.
Another starlet (ex? in this case) making music is Jenny Lewis from Rilo Kiley, who I think has put out some pretty solid albums. Silver Lining sounds more than a bit like Fleetwood Mac to me.
You're on the money with this, Ta-Nehisi. This is a Sitek album with Scarlett as a cipher; the project wouldn't work at all without an amateur, languidly sexy singer shuffling through it. The entire(heavily barbituated) album is perfectly cohesive across lyrics, music and vocals. I wouldn't change a thing.
As for cloyingly twee stuff like Zooey Deschanel, Scarlett's there for you too: she's got a new album with Pete Yorn out, and it's awful.
Dave Sitek's the man, pretty much. Did you check out Celebration's "The Modern Tribe"?
Have you heard Kyp Malone's solo album, "Rain Machine?" I'd probably recommend it to anyone that loves TVOTR. It's got some really interesting songs.
Juliette Lewis. Not all that popular but I dig it. I know, I know...
I don't think Juliette Lewis really tries to sing--she just wants to rawk. I can respect that--she does it well.
When i first heard the album, i thought, “this is the end of the quirks and chimes and beards indie rock.” Once a vital and interesting genre appears in commercials and actors' vanity projects, it's done. Oh, and the album sounds soullessly nice. It's like a PT Cruiser. You can't manufacture charm, and you can't manufacture quirk.
The only Tom Waits cover worth listening to is Temptation by Nathan. And I think they even have American distribution. Bah!
I'm not sure where indie rock can go, though. It has ceased to be a genre that refers to a band's label for quite some time. And it honestly, but probably incorrectly, has became a term to encompass far too much music. Obviously, there are MANY "indie" rock bands that are on major labels, but it is just easier to label them as such. Maybe I'm just missing your point when you say it's 'done.'
Springsteen did Jersey Girl pretty well, and the Eagles' Ol'55 wasn't a crime.
I don't know why she picked Tom Waits to cover. Actual real singers like MeatLoaf and Rod Stewart have crashed and burned trying to cover Tom Waits. And Ms. Johansson has never really sung before, has she?
I remember when this project was first announced, I heard someone make a quip saying, "why, it's wasn't like Lindsay Lohan is out there covering Leonard Cohen". I got the comparison, on both ends. But now that I think about it, at least Leonard Cohen has been covered well.
Dude,
You're into Tom Waits? Gettin cooler day by day.
anyway, just to say...she sounds like sinead o'connor with that bold opening line - confident. and if your gonna do tom waits, confidence sure helps.
She's no Shatner.
I'm with you on this. I got this shortly after it came out because I like Tom Waits so much and because he was involved in it. At first I was into it, but it's not very memorable. There's no song on the album that really grabs me. I feel the same way about it as I do about "The World Still Won't Listen" which is a cover album of Smiths songs done by punk and hardcore bands. Its aight and there's only a few songs that overtly suck, but I never reach for anything in leiu of the real thing. That said, it sure is a hell of alot better than Rod Steward doing "Downtown Train".
I can take or leave Scarlett - the production is top notch. Banjo riffs and soaring strings, hollow reverby vocals. You could get anyone to sing the words and the rest of the song would carry it through.
How strange: the same day you posted this I came across the first single from her new record -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRtydnIycCY&feature=related, and mailed it to some friends in astonishment. Her new record is really, really good and this song is a killer. I mean, it's nothing but pop, but it's perfect pop.
Re: the video. I don't know why there's fan writing all over it. That part's annoying.