Scarlett Johansson – Anywhere I Lay My Head
Pitchfork claim ‘Anywhere I Lay My Head’ as “dearth of vocal personality,” and the suggestive Entertainment Weekly see the record’s soundscapes as playing “second fiddle to disguising her [Scarlett’s] expressionless voice.” Oh, to be grotesquely wrong. But the Guardian got it right. When writing their letter to Music – following an acknowledgement of a record with “surprising allure” – they quizzed the master, “What would Johansson have made of ‘Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis’?” This is one of the most splendid of records to have cushioned my ears. The tickle and charm of whimsy. [Cheaper elsewhere, but here’s the manufacturer.]