I see that the the CD is available for purchase by itself. Does that mean that if I order it, that I'll receive it before the release date?
There are always fluke cases, but I’d say it’s far more likely that ordering from a venue like this will get you the CD *after* the release date. Some “shops” like this will ship the CD out on release date, so you’ll end up getting it several days after release date at best. I don’t know if Best Buy or Target will be stocking Brian’s new album (I would assume it’s quite possible), but even Amazon will often offer “release date delivery” where they ship the CD out prior to release date so folks get it on the release date.
I don’t think these online web store things, which are all handled by some other fulfillment company, are always set up to dial in delivery like Amazon. Plus, it looks like they’re charging substantially more for the CD than other retailers will (and they’ll probably throw shipping charges and maybe sales tax on top of that as well).