Judging by her new album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, Scarlett Johansson sings as well as she acts, which is to say, she is awful. Of course, she chose to record a collection of Tom Waits tunes, so one could not expect much from that flat material. The result—and she’s reportedly planning a second album—is some of the worst wailers ever recorded.
The Cab’s Whisper War offers tame power pop with nice, bass-laden hooks that tend to overpower thin rock vocals. This production could have been crisper. Country crooner Allison Moorer’s Mockingbird is decent, though several recordings are mediocre. The title cut and Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” fare better and the solemn “Where is My Love” is easily the highlight here.
Home Before Dark by Neil Diamond continues the singer’s acoustic approach, which I like as much as his melodramatic stuff. Favorites include “Another Day (That Time Forgot)” featuring Natalie Maines (Dixie Chicks), “Slow it Down,” and “Act Like a Man”. Diamond’s best effort—“If I Don’t See You Again”—shows his maturity and it is rewarding to listen to an artist in rock who lets himself grow older with honest dignity.
The original recordings on Nothing But the Best by Frank Sinatra are happily remastered and, while I was skeptical of yet another Sinatra release, this one is an excellent compilation for the non-diehard fan. Packaged in electric blue with exceptionally written and compiled liner notes that provide an appreciative recording history, the compact disc also includes rare photographs. These 22 tunes include the previously unreleased “Body and Soul”.
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