Why Gwyneth Paltrow Won't Stop Singing

March 9, 2011— -- Gwyneth Paltrow may be an Oscar-winning actress but what she really wants to do right now is keep on singing.

Only problem is, many people think she should stick to acting.

Paltrow's performance of "Coming Home," the Oscar-nominated song from her movie "Country Strong," at the recent Academy Awards drew mixed reviews.

No matter. The actress, who performed earlier at the Country Music Awards and the Grammys, is forging on with Tuesday night's return appearance on "Glee," where she performed Stevie Nicks' "Landslide" and Prince's "Kiss."

Moreover, she appears close to inking a deal for her first full-length album.

According to the New York Post, Paltrow is in "advanced talks" with Atlantic Records. The paper quotes a source saying, "Those who have heard the music say it's country pop."

Earlier on the Oscars red carpet, Paltrow confirmed that a possible album was in the works. "We're talking about it now," she told "Access Hollywood."

With seemingly little fear, Paltrow has thrown herself into this new profession, though she did admit to feeling some nerves ahead of her Academy Awards performance.

"This feels hard because the Grammys [were] so much fun and it was silly," she told "Access."

"This is like, very serious. I'm like, 'Geez, it's a serious song, and I'm by myself up there.' I hope it's all right."

Village Voice critic Michael Musto thought so. "She did better that night than on the Grammys," he told ABCNews.com.

Singing is not just a recent interest for Paltrow. The actress first displayed her vocal chops in the 2000 movie "Duets" with singer Huey Lewis. Their duet of the Smokey Robinson hit "Cruisin'" was included on the movie's soundtrack and even spent a week at No. 1 on the adult contemporary chart.

Some dismissed "Crusin'" as a one-time experience for Paltrow, who had won the Best Actress Oscar two years earlier for "Shakespeare in Love."

Apparently, Paltrow had other plans. Not only did she return to singing last year but she vows not to stop.

"I won't stop singing and playing guitar," Paltrow, 38, told Yahoo in January. "It may just be to my kids in the house. I may make a record. I may do a musical. I'm not sure, but I'm just very grateful I'm at a place right now where I've been given an opportunity to discover this whole new side to myself."

As for her role as substitute teacher Holly Holiday on "Glee" that she reprised Tuesday in an episode called "Sexy," she said that she originally accepted the part because she was ready to try something new.

As the title suggests, it was a show about sex and her songs, Prince's "Kiss," and "Do you Wanna Touch Me" showed her range, as did a more "Country Strong" three-way ensemble of "Landslide" performed with two cast members dealing with confusion over same-sex attraction.

Paltrow is now a recurring character on the show.

After last night's kiss with Mr. Schuster, we should expect to see sexy Holly Holiday belt out a few more numbers before the season ends.

Paltrow Just Wanted Fun

"My parts were usually quite serious, and I was looking for something fun and different to do," Paltrow said. "When ['Glee' co-creator] Ryan [Murphy] asked me to be on 'Glee,' I thought, 'How much fun it would it be to sing and dance and just be ridiculous and silly?' I'm just having so much fun."

Not everyone thinks it's fun, though.

Commenting on an article about Paltrow on the Huffington Post, reader Nicole Dixon wrote: "Stop singing already. Go work on some articles for Goop or something."

Paltrow, who also authors the online newsletter Goop, has her defenders, too.

"Gwyneth Paltrow, please make an album," "American Idol" Kelly Clarkson tweeted last month. "You have such an honest and captivating voice!"

It looks like Clarkson will get her wish.

Musto, who has been a fan of her voice ever since "Crusin'," said she shouldn't stop. "She comes on with confidence and is smooth and competent enough to be a country contender," he said. "I say she should move forward and defy the misgivings."

But he understands why some folks have mixed feelings about her singing. "They feel, 'She sounds good for a non-singer,'" he said. "And they worry that this change of career might cause problems with her rock-star husband."

That would be Chris Martin, the frontman for the British band Coldplay.

If Paltrow were really worried about overshadowing her musician husband, she probably would have given TV personality Tim Gunn a different answer when he asked her on the Oscars red carpet whom she'd most like to sing a duet with.

"Jay Z," Paltrow blurted out. "I think we'd be a good combination."