I have to admit – Iron Man suits up for Sting, and it’s actually a blockbuster

Every had one of those moments when your mouth drops with complete awe over something?

Well, no critic likes to admit that. But we have those. Usually when alone.

But I must admit I had no idea that Robert Downey. Jr. entertained the world of music. To those that follow him religiously, they may have unearthed some of his crooning adventures on YouTube. He’s even sung on Oprah, so I am not sure why I was out of the loop of his expedition into music.

And there are hundreds of actors (and actress) who have fumbled with music – and to some degree, done a better job than their full-time job. Downey, Jr. is a skilled actor and should never give up on his Iron Man/Avengers box office smashes. The last Sherlock Holmes film (A Game of Shadows) was a bit of a mess, but hey, actors are afforded some blunders. But the nutrients of music is living inside Downey’s blood stream.

Where’s the proof?

When Sting kicked off his 60th birthday bash at the Beacon Theater in New York in 2011, he invited a few of his buddies over to help in the celebration. Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, Herbie Hancock, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige and Stevie Wonder were all on board. When Rolling Stone‘s Patrick Boyle rapped about the session, he forgot to mention that Downey was also on the guest list. Why the omission? Hell, I don’t know. Maybe RS doesn’t like their movie stars playing around with cover tunes of rock royalty. But the editorial blooper deserves to be called out, because Downey, Jr. can seriously sing. And at times, he sounded as if he was channeling Sting’s vocal prowess. If you closed your eyes to the whole experience, you would have thought Sting was trying to channel Michael Bolton. But he didn’t need to sound like a sound-a-like; his swagger and off-screen sexiness exuded the whole place. And the sensational shock of the room was felt when Downey, Jr. put the period at the end of the very first sentence of the Police throwback.

We’re all awaiting to hear exactly when he plans on dropping another album (2004’s The Futurist, a classical pop album, was released, but went by unnoticed), even if it means if he has to record it as Tony Stark.

Thanks to Christopher W. for leaking me to what I did not know.