The Diving Board

"The Diving Board" is one of the most distinguished records of Elton John's unparalleled career. The Diving Board is set to be hailed as both a sophisticated new chapter in his unique songbook, and a work of old-school sonic clarity.

A return to the piano-bass-drums construction of Elton's early years, and a celebration of his brilliance not just as a song craftsman but as a world-class pianist, The Diving Board will evoke memories of the groundbreaking albums that established him in the early 1970s.

All of the songs on The Diving Board were written by John and his career-long lyrical collaborator, Bernie Taupin. It was recorded at The Village in Los Angeles and produced by T-Bone Burnett, the storied helmsman of countless landmark records including The Union, John's acclaimed 2010 collaboration with Leon Russell.

In a break with tradition, the recordings feature the minimalist accompaniment of a crack team of musicians, namely guitarist Doyle Bramhall, R&B singer-producer Raphael Saadiq on bass, Keefus Ciancia on keyboards and drummer Jay Bellerose. As another nod to John's devotion to vintage soul, there's also an appearance by Jack Ashford, the legendary percussionist of Motown's Funk Brothers heyday. The percussion block that Ashford plays on A Town Called Jubilee is the very one he used for Marvin Gaye's What's Going On.