Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor first backed former Bad Company vocalist Rodgers at an awards dinner in 2004 — and they've been touring together ever since. "It seemed the logical next step, to see whether it would work with new songs," says Rodgers. The result is the first new material from Queen in 14 years, with songs ranging from the bluesy "Voodoo" to the comically elaborate "Surf's Up . . . School's Out." Queen's signature stacks of vocal and guitar harmonies are intact, but Rodgers' rough wail is a far cry from Freddie Mercury's high-flying delivery. "We could have had any number of people come along and imitate Freddie, but it would be pointless," says May. "Paul's brought us back to a greater awareness of our instinctive side."

Queen and Paul Rogers performing "Celebrity" live

Check out all of the albums in the 2008 Fall Music Preview