John Corbett, who hit theaters last weekend as Hilary Duff's music teacher in "Raise Your Voice," is taking a hiatus from acting to launch a music career of his own.

The "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" star is finishing up his country-rock debut this month for release later this year on Broken Bow Records.

"I kinda want to do it under the radar and not make a big deal about it," Corbett said. "I'd like to open for somebody. I don't want to play any more than 25 minutes. I'd like to be that special guest you see on some big guy's ticket."

Corbett, who played in rock bands in high school, described the album as a mix of love songs and "good old-fashioned Lynyrd Skynyrd–type songs," with a few humorous tunes tossed in.

"I have a song called 'I Didn't Know the Lord Is Missing,' " Corbett said. "My buddy wrote it. This guy came up to him and said, 'Have you found the Lord?' And there was a church over his shoulder, and he said, 'I didn't know the Lord is missing, but if you look in there, that might be a good place to start.' "

The actor has been recording in Nashville, where he has taken advantage of the city's abundance of songwriters.

"I can't write," he said. "It's the same thing with movies — my mind just doesn't work like that. I guess I don't want to open up to the criticism of what's in here here [He points to his head]. These songs I'm singing are great, and I couldn't do as good."

Speaking of criticism, Corbett is well aware of the flak other actors who have crossed over into music (Bruce Willis, Eddie Murphy, etc.) have faced, but he simply could not care less.

"When I was doing 'Northern Exposure,' Entertainment Weekly said, 'John Corbett was the reason the show was no longer watchable,' and it crushed me," Corbett recalled. "But since then, I've gotten bad reviews for 'Lucky' and 'Raising Helen,' and the good news is, now I have the 'I don't give a f---' attitude."

Corbett has one more movie in the can, "Caught in the Act," which he plans to promote in between touring. "It's about a town that puts on 'Cyrano [de Bergerac],' " Corbett said of the film, which co-stars Amy Smart and Sean Astin and is likely to premiere at Sundance.

As for his streak of playing the lovable boyfriend to beauties like Sarah Jessica Parker and Kate Hudson, Corbett is glad it's over.

"That's getting less and less fantastic," he said. "I'm lucky that I get asked to play these roles, and I'm picking the best of what I'm offered, but I've never done a movie with guys. I'm always the boyfriend. I want to be in a movie with dudes!"

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