Scarlett is a strong vocalist, though many may disagree by the sound of this album.  One of the major complaints of the music was that her performance was sub-par and the vocals were not loud enough.  To me, however, this is like someone watching the movie Requiem For A Dream and complaining that there wasn’t a happy ending.  That’s the fucking point!  

What one must understand when listening to this album is that there is only one original song on it.  The rest of the album is comprised of Tom Waits cover songs.  If you have never listened to Tom Waits, then you won’t understand Scarlett.  I can’t tell you how tired I am of people writing shit all over the internet saying how the Scarlett album sucks and that she can’t “write” for shit.  She didn’t write it!  No one would ever be able to make a Tom Waits cover and be able to replicate his voice to the point where they recreate the magic Waits brought to the microphone.  That would be like someone covering a Faith No More song and having a voice identical to Mike Patton.  It just isn’t going to happen.  Scarlett never once tried to imitate Waits’ voice.  How could she?  She made an eclectic album with deep artistic undertones that only those who understand Tom Waits would appreciate.  The album is simply beautiful.  But, that beauty is hidden under Waits.  

If you’re going to critique the album; do your research.  If I can take the time and actually research the Panic At The Disco album, surely you can take time to read one sentence somewhere that says “Scarlett Johansson releases album of Tom Waits covers.”  That will bring you steps closer to understanding.  If you love Tom Waits and still hate the Scarlett album, then that’s ok.  At least be knowledgeable about music you dislike.  Have reasons.  Given, some music doesn’t quite need understanding in order to like because it’s terrible from the get-go, Five Finger Death Punch, but this album definitely needs to be understood.  She’s getting a really bad rap and I hope she’s just sitting back astonished at how stupid people really are.

All in all, people need to stop shitting on this album.  If you don’t like her vocals, listen to the live EP released exclusively on iTunes or YouTube some videos of her doing the songs live.  Her voice is much more clear on those and much more tolerable for the ignorant.