OK, everybody in the pool: Elton John's 'The Diving Board' is now open to the public, two weeks before the album's official release.

John's 30th album, produced by T Bone Burnett, finds him working in one of the more stripped-down settings of his career, with a small combo and the spotlight shining brightly on his distinctive piano work. The 15-song set -- which includes a dozen full-length songs and three instrumental interludes -- marks John's first album of new solo music since 2006's 'The Captain & the Kid.'

'The Diving Board' won't arrive in stores until Sept. 24, but you don't have to wait that long to hear it: Amazon is offering a complete stream of the album here. You can also pre-order the album as a CD, deluxe CD with an "exclusive vintage troubadour poster," super deluxe CD box set or on vinyl. (They aren't messing around with that "super deluxe" part, either -- that version of the record, which includes bonus tracks, a DVD, the vinyl, a book and an art print, will set you back more than $150.)

"I had to ask myself, ‘What kind of music do I really want to make?’ and I realized that I had to go back to go forward again," John reflected in the new album's press kit. "I needed to strip away the excesses and get back to the core of what I do as an artist. That’s what 'The Diving Board' represents. I’m incredibly excited about every aspect of this album: The performances, T Bone’s production, Bernie [Taupin]’s lyrics and the songs we’ve created. 'The Diving Board' is the album I’ve been waiting to make for decades."

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