Veteran rocker David Bowie has heaped praise on actress Scarlett Johansson for her album of Tom Waits covers, branding her vocal talents "mystical." The legendary pop star provided backing vocals for two tracks on the disc, "Fannin' Street" and "Falling Down," and insists Johansson's skills behind the mic were almost perfect.

In a posting on his official website, he says, "The songs are great, really good Tom Waits stuff, and Scarlett's performances are mystical and twice cool (sic). She creates a mood that could have been summoned by someone like (novelists) Margery Latimer or Jeanette Winterson."

But Bowie has dismissed the importance of his own contributions to the release, claiming it is Johansson who deserves all the credit.

He adds: "I've seen the press on this and I suppose the record company wanted to spin my involvement a little more than it actually warrants. All I contribute are these oo's and ah's on a couple of tracks. David Sitek, the producer, originally asked me to do three songs, but for one of them, 'I Don't Wanna Grow Up,' I didn't feel I could contribute much to it, so I left it alone."

-Scarlett Johansson Pictures

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