Gwyneth Paltrow Shines as a Singer: Natural Talent or Just Good Coaching?

Nov. 12, 2010— -- On this week's Country Music Awards presentation, Gwyneth Paltrow metaphorically donned her cowboy boots and fired up her vocal chords.

Strumming an acoustic guitar, Paltrow gave the audience a taste of "Country Strong," the title song from her upcoming movie, scheduled for release in January. The film is about a country-music singer – in need of a comeback – who hooks up with a songwriter (Garrett Hedlund) on his way up.

Not surprisingly, Paltrow's appearance on the CMA stage – her acting credits include an Oscar-winning turn in "Shakespeare in Love," a side-kick role in the "Iron Man" movies, and an appearance on "Glee" next week – fueled comments.

One post on The Wall Street Journal's "Speakeasy" column said, "Hard to go wrong when you have Vince Gill singing harmony with you. Good job!" Another wrote, "I actually had to change the channel during her performance."

Even though Paltrow has sung on film before – she and Huey Lewis sang together in "Duets" a decade ago – some viewers probably wondered whether Paltrow's musician husband – Chris Martin, who fronts the British music group Coldplay – had something to do with her transformation.

But others may have more correctly asked whether the phenomenon – of actresses breaking into song – is about nature vs. nurture.

In other words, do talented actress-singers – Reese Witherspoon in "Walk the Line," Meryl Streep in "Mamma Mia," Kate Hudson in "Nine," and others – owe it all to innate singing ability or good coaching?

The answer, say the experts, may be a little of both.

"Actresses in general have no guaranteed advantage over anyone else when it comes to being a good singer," said Roger Love, a veteran vocal coach in Hollywood. Love worked with Jeff Bridges, whose portrayal of a washed-up country-western singer in "Crazy Heart" won him an Oscar.

For Love, one factor that allows an actress to become a successful actress-singer is a musicality that has impelled her to sing – informally and often – in her private life, over many years. "Singing along to recorded vocal music is like having a mini-singing lesson," he said.