Elton John to release new album ‘The Diving Board’ eight days after Bestival

Elton John has quite the September to look forward to. Despite being from the country and having spent the past forty five years at the apex of pop music creativity, Elton John has never played a UK Festival. Really. But he’s putting that right this year with a headline slot at one of the best of the lot, Bestival, held on the Isle of Wight between 5^th and 8^th September.

And to follow that he’s releasing his first studio album of solo material since 2006. The Diving Board will be released eight days after the dust settles on Bestival on Monday September 16^th, and sees John relinking with long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin. There’s also the presence of a number of revered studio musicians, namely R&B singer Raphael Saadiq (of Lucy Pearl and Tony! Toni! Tone!) on bass, and legendary Motown percussionist Jack Ashford, who uses the very same percussion block he used as part of the Funk Brothers on the recording of Marvin Gaye’s seminal What’s going on.

Much of Elton’s success in the modern pop realm has been his the manner in which he has aged graciously from a musical perspective… certainly not going down the path of his on/off sparring partner Madonna. And at Bestival he’s sure to bring an effortless charm to an event which already has it by the sack full.

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