Listen to this

I talk a lot about celebutards who try to do too much -- actors and actresses who want to be singers, directors, producers, models, spokespeople, or vice versa... everything under the sun, and how annoying it is. Those idiots usually fail (remember Britney Spears' attempt to be an "actress"?), and they tend to ruin it for the rare person who is truly multi-talented.

Emmy Rossum is one of those people that the idiots ruin it for.

She's a bit of an anomaly. Rossum is an up-and-coming star who starred in Mystic River, The Day After Tomorrow, and Poseidon, but landing the role of Christine in the film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera is what really put her on the map. Not even 21 yet, she has showed maturity, grace, and poise (not to mention the self-control to NOT date anything that moves, flash the world her girlie bits, or be falling down drunk and/or high every other day) that most other "starlets" her age and older so proudly lack.

And as for real talent? Emmy started singing at the world-famous Metropolitan Opera House in New York by the age of seven, in more than 20 separate productions in six different languages at Lincoln Center alongside icons such as Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti.

Why am I bringing up Emmy Rossum's career and vocal training? She's got an album coming out soon, Inside Out, and it is incredible. The woman is so ridiculously talented that it makes me want to hate her, but I can't. And this album just further proves that (emphasis mine):

“There’s a photo of me listening intently to a violinist in Central Park when I was two,” says Rossum, who grew up in Manhattan an only child, raised by her photographer mother. With her mom often traveling, the young Emmy was often left to her own devices, much of the time spent listening to classical music like Vivaldi and jazz piano by John Lewis.

That longing for closeness and fear of abandonment can be heard on several songs from the new album, written largely by Rossum with producer Stuart Brawley. It is a showcase for her remarkable vocal range. With a lush, sensual style, Rossum sings every note on the album. Her vocals seduce, rather than show off.

The first single, “Slow Me Down,” about trying to “find a respite from all the craziness,” is made up of more than 150 different parts and harmonies, every one of them sung by Emmy herself, including, in some cases, the percussion. “Stay” was the first piece she wrote for the record.

“I didn’t want this album to be like, ‘Look what I can do,’” she says. “People have heard me hit the high ‘E’ in Phantom of the Opera, and I’ll use that range to occasionally add different colors. But I wanted to create a kind of music that would allow me to use my voice as another instrument. I sing the parts that would be played by guitar or piano. I tried to discover, how much can you do without instruments? What is the boundary of the human voice?”

She bundled three songs for an EP and released them on iTunes July 31st, and it is already #14 overall, and #3 on the iTunes pop chart.

Even Perez Hilton, notorious for his viciousness, had nothing but good things to say:

We’re always a bit worried when an actor attempts to “transition” into the music world, but Emmy Rossum is the real deal!

She has released an EP on iTunes - a precursor to a full length album in the fall - and it’s good. The songs are really good!

Rossum began her career in opera and learned to play piano before she was five. She also wrote every single song she recorded, and in many ways she has more cred than Avril Lavigne.

Emmy’s sound is angelic, which is right up our alley. But it’s not too pretty. The songs are meaningful, especially Slow Me Down, which we’ve been listening to non-stop since we bought the EP on iTunes.

If you like Imogen Heap, then you will love this. It’s totally a similar vibe to the Brit’s exquisite song Hide & Seek.

I listened to the three released songs on Emmy's MySpace (Slow Me Down, Stay, and Lullaby), and while it took me a minute to get into it (it's not usually the kind of music I listen to), it was strangely addicting, and by the time Slow Me Down was finished, I couldn't wait to listen to more. I am definitely looking forward to hearing the rest of her album when it comes out. Check out her MySpace page to hear the three songs.

Make sure to keep an eye out for this record, and for Emmy in general. She is amazing -- and not to mention, gorgeous. Does she have a flaw? Anywhere?