Scarlett Johansson, the star of such music-heavy films as Lost in Translation, was practically guaranteed to be the weakest link on her full-length debut. After all, how bad could an album of Tom Waits covers -- produced by David Sitek of spacey Brooklyn rockers TV on the Radio, with guest vocals by David Bowie -- really be? Johansson's boldness and connections mostly pay off on Anywhere I Lay My Head, although diehard fans of legendary boho-hobo bawler Waits should probably skip this and stick to the originals. No one will mistake Johansson for Mariah Carey, but ScarJo's husky alto is just idiosyncratic enough to work with Sitek's atmospheric trappings on tracks like the music box chiming "I Wish I Was in New Orleans" and gothy "Falling Down." She fares well, too, on sole original "Song for Jo," murmuring over cricket chirps and bedroom strums. Johansson doesn't put a personal musical stamp on these songs, as bluesman John Hammond did on the excellent 2001 Waits covers LP Wicked Grin, but she and Sitek still manage to teach Rain Dogs a few new tricks. The result: a vanity project that's more than just a pretty face.

-- Marc Hogan