Editors’ Notes Actress Scarlett Johansson’s solo musical debut is a lovely collection of hazy, ephemeral, narco-pop, a distant cousin to early 4AD artists (Lush, Pale Saints, Lisa Germano) and early-‘70s folk rock (Tim Buckley, Big Star). Produced by TV On the Radio’s Dave Sitek, Johansson pours her longtime affection for Tom Waits into covering a slew of his songs, which is gutsy in itself; not that she’s playing the breathy sex kitten taking on the wizened and whiskered troubadour — she’s got a fairly gutsy, bluesy, crooner style, in fact — but any newcomer taking on such a revered figure has got to have some trepidation. With the songs thoroughly filtered into new creations, the only misstep here is that producer Sitek laid on the atmospherics a bit too thick; when Johansson’s not lost in the fog, her voice is inarguably seductive and powerful. Strip away a layer of keyboard haze on the title track, on “Falling Down” or “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up,” and you’ll find a vocal as strong as any indie chanteuse. Her sharp edges on tracks like “Town With No Cheer” and “Green Grass” pay tribute to her muse — with a little sugar added.

SONG
Fawn
1
2:32
 
Town With No Cheer
2
5:03
 
Falling Down
3
4:55
 
Anywhere I Lay My Head
4
3:39
 
Fannin Street
5
5:06
 
Song for Jo
6
4:09
 
Green Grass
7
3:33
 
I Wish I Was In New Orleans
8
3:59
 
I Don't Wanna Grow Up
9
4:11
 
No One Knows I'm Gone
10
2:57
 
Who Are You
11
4:20
 
Yesterday Is Here
12
2:44
 
I'll Shoot the Moon
13
4:10
 
Falling Down
14
3:58