Terrence Howard has moved from movies to music with 'Shine On It'. - Contributed

Terrence Howard is a complex man. No, really. He's not the kind of brother that will give you a simple answer to a question and therefore, a conversation with him can leave you feeling seriously perplexed.

But ultimately, speaking to Howard is far more interesting than speaking to the latest 'next big thing', who, very often, has little interesting to say.

The initial matter at hand was the album, Shine Through It, which is the musical debut from Howard, who is, of course, better known as a Hollywood film star, thanks to roles in hit movies like Crash and Hustle & Flow.

While the album has received some gleaming reviews - with critics praising Howard's fearlessness in going against the musical grain - there is often the temptation within media circles to slate any musical attempt from an actor-turned-singer.

Some blog sites certainly haven't missed the opportunity to ridicule Howard's musical offering, which is a far cry from the R 'n' B/hip-hop sound that some might have expected from a black musician. (His guitar and piano-driven sound is perhaps best described as urban folk with elements of soft rock). Is he bothered by his critics?

"Not really. I'd like to see them get up and make an album. I wasn't making music for the industry. I was just making music. When you make music for the industry you've already bottled and labelled it before you've even finished the product. I wasn't trying to make filler music. I was making music from my heart. Whether anybody else likes it or not, that's up to them."

So, just to reiterate: Howard's music is heartfelt and he's not bothered by any criticism. (More on that later.) But in the run-up to the album's release, the Net was also buzzing with reports that one of the album tracks, No. 1 Fan, was supposedly inspired by Howard stalking his ex-wife, Lori McCommas. Following their divorce in 2003, Howard went on re-propose to McCommas and the pair remarried in 2005, but they later separated.

"Stalking." Howard pondered on the suggestion for a moment. "I guess any time you pay more than the usual attention to someone it could be considered stalking. Any time I had to pick up my kids, (my ex-wife) could say I was stalking if I waited outside the house for 10 minutes for the kids to come out."

"But yeah, I was obsessed with my ex-wife. She was aware of that. I proposed (for the second time) a thousand times. And as a result, I was able to make an incredible album. You haven't heard the album have you?"

I assured Howard that I had heard it.

"So how could you even imagine that anyone could say anything negative about it? The only way it could be rejected is by someone who was deaf and can't hear music."

OK. Before you decide to join the legion of critics who have branded Howard arrogant or difficult, it must be said that his defensive attitude in rejecting the very idea of his album being criticised, did, amazingly, seem to be sparked by a genuine sense of bewilderment.

Far from sounding like a spoilt, self-absorbed star who would sooner slap you than politely accept constructive criticism from you, Howard really sounded puzzled that anyone would view his music in a negative light. His genuine raw passion, in an industry where many artistes are more concerned with making a quick buck than making real art, was actually quite endearing.

"People have the right to criticise whatever they want," he continues. "But the value of their criticism is limited to their contribution to music. That's like me walking out the door and an ant saying to me, 'I don't like those pants'. The ant doesn't even wear pants. You've got me curious now. What did you read?"

Upon Howard's instruction, I went to a site that claimed that his music had been "rejected" by an audience at one of his recent live performances. The story went on to say that the audience seemed 'indifferent' to Howard's singing, and said that some audience members went on to "slam it mercilessly".

"Oh please, that's a gossip site," Howard said dismissively of the Internet source. "That's like going to a six year-old and asking them what happened in Congress yesterday. It would have to be a complete idiot that said that."

But didn't Howard say he didn't care about what the critics said?

"I don't. But that's completely unfounded and that's hurtful."

Well folks, you can judge the music for yourself, as the album is out now. Final words from Mr Howard?

"I look forward to reading your article."

Shine Through It is out now on Sony BMG.