The Dude Composes: Jeff Bridges to Release Solo Album

Is Jeff Bridges taking a tip from Gwyneth Paltrow? According to Hollywood Reporter, Bridges is planning on recording a solo album with Blue Note Records, a division of EMI.

Just as Paltrow got a deal for her solo album after performing in "Country Strong" (and "Glee" of course), it seems that the record deal for Bridges stems from his appearance in "Crazy Heart" a couple of years ago, in which he played a washed-up country singer on a comeback. In fact, "Country Strong" was basically just "Crazy Heart" with a younger, more attractive, female star.

Bridges won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in the movie. He was nominated again this year for "True Grit," and he also starred in "Tron: Legacy" this past winter.

Bridges will be recording the album with music producer T-Bone Burnett, who wrote many of the songs for "Crazy Heart." Bridges and Burnett go back a long way, as the two met on the set of "Heaven's Gate" back in 1980. Burnett also selected music for "The Big Lebowski."

The album will likely be the same kind of bluesy music we heard in "Crazy Heart." Bridges will be writing some of the songs, and he will be joined by Tom Waits, Bo Ramsey, Greg Brown, John Goodwin, Stephen Bruton, and others.

So I guess this goes to show one thing: if actors out there want to land a solo album, all they need to do is star in a movie about a country singer! "Glee" helps too, of course.