The Smoking Section got a surprise call from Queen guitarist Brian May, who phoned with cool news about his exciting new project: In September, Queen (with singer Paul Rodgers) will release their first new album in thirteen years, tentatively titled The Cosmos Rocks. Queen’s new chapter began in 2005, when May and drummer Roger Taylor teamed up with Rodgers (Bad Company and Free) for a joyously received global tour. “It was clear that if we were to go out again, we needed some new stuff,” says May. “It needed to be an ongoing, living, evolving, organic unit. This album has done that.” So, coinciding with Cosmos’ release, Queen and Rodgers will hit the road again. (Euro dates sold out in minutes — look out for U.S. dates next spring.) “It’s wonderful to know that people want to hear us out there,” says May. “It’s been a real voyage of discovery.” He adds that Freddie Mercury’s spirit lives on: “I often think of Freddie smiling — I think he’s enjoying it.”

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Frankly, we’re pretty impressed by Scarlett Johansson’s first real foray into music, Anywhere I Lay My Head, a collection of Tom Waits songs. After time-consuming attempts at finding a producer to help her nail the sounds she’d imagined, Johansson met her match in Dave Sitek, guitarist for TV on the Radio. “I knew I wanted a sort of dreamlike, ambient sound, and we didn’t want to shy away from the cinematic aspects of the songs,” Johansson tells the S.S. “Dave and I had the same vision, and it turned out to be everything I’d imagined.” With musicians like Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ Nick Zinner, the crew holed up at a Louisiana studio, and the bayou vibe crept into recordings like “Green Grass,” “Town With No Cheer” and, of course, “I Wish I Was in New Orleans.” (David Bowie makes an appearance, doing backing vocals.) Though Waits hasn’t yet heard Johansson’s takes on his tunes, Johansson doesn’t seem nervous: “Once we started recording, I became less fearful of encountering Tom Waits in a dark room with a mallet.”

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“How surreal is this?” asked Feist a few days before launching her U.S. tour. “I’m sitting with Rolling Stone in Mr. Hooper’s store!” Yes, the Smoking Section couldn’t resist joining the Canuck on the set of Sesame Street, where, backed by Elmo, Telly and a colony of penguins, Feist delivered an educational rendition of her smash, “1 2 3 4.” As a child, Feist would stage plays with her puppets Rat-Fink and Smurfy; as a teen, she joined a squad of puppeteers performing in children’s festivals. “There was a moment when I stood at the crossroads and decided between puppets or music,” she says. “Today almost sparked a tear in my eye, seeing things come full circle.”

[Photo: Getty]