The Diving Board

Production

The album was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and produced in Los Angeles by T Bone Burnett, who had previously produced The Union. Burnett suggested that John return to the piano, bass, and drums format of his early years, and John described the result as the most exciting solo record he had made in a long time. The Diving Board was initially written in two days. The album's release was delayed multiple times; originally planned for fall 2012, it was pushed to February 2013 for promotional reasons, then further delayed. In September 2012, John expressed dissatisfaction with the album's balance and began writing more songs, feeling many had a theme. During a concert in Perth, Australia on 10 November 2012, he announced a further delay to May 2013 to record additional material with Burnett in January 2013. On 8 January 2013, the album's title was changed from The Diving Board to Voyeur, but an article on 23 February 2013 revealed the title had reverted to The Diving Board, with a revised track list including four new songs and the removal of a song titled '5th Avenue'. The release was pushed back a total of four times. John called the revised album the most piano-oriented of his career and his most adult album. The premiere single 'Home Again' was released on 24 June 2013, the same day the album became available for pre-order. On 28 August 2013, a video for 'Mexican Vacation (Kids in the Candlelight)' was released on YouTube as the second single.

Reception

Critics generally gave The Diving Board a warm reception. On Metacritic, the album earned a score of 71 out of 100 from 24 reviews, a rating that signifies generally favorable notices. Many reviewers celebrated it as a strong comeback and one of Elton John's finest works in years. Alan Light of Rolling Stone awarded four stars, praising the record's stripped-down sound and focus, and wrote that John had rediscovered his sense of musical adventure. Robert Hilburn, who famously covered John's 1970 Troubadour debut, called the songs finely crafted and deeply moving, noting they honored the past in a fresh, revealing way. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic was less impressed, offering a mixed take: he described the album as a great concept on paper but somewhat lacking in structure in practice.

In the United Kingdom, The Diving Board entered the charts at number three, selling 22,000 copies in its first week. It was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry on January 10, 2014, for 60,000 copies sold. In the United States, it debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 with 47,000 copies, marking John's 18th top-ten album on that chart. By December 2015, it had moved 150,000 copies in the US. The album also reached number seven on the Canadian Albums Chart.

The single "Can't Stay Alone Tonight" became John's 70th song to land on the US Adult Contemporary chart, extending his record for the most appearances on that chart, a streak that began with "Your Song" in 1970. Rolling Stone ranked The Diving Board at number 25 on its list of the 50 Best Albums of 2013.