Burt Bacharach has never been a political guy. "There would be years I wouldn't vote," he says. "I never was involved. I never was an activist, but I am now."

But lately the pop composer has been dissatisfied with politics in America: the lies about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the initial relief response to Katrina. On his new album, At This Time (out today), Bacharach pairs his trademark lush orchestral arrangements with angry lyrics about the Bush administration. And the veteran songwriter enlisted the help of Elvis Costello, Chris Botti and Rufus Wainwright for the effort.

Perhaps the album's oddest pairing, though, is between the seventy-seven-year-old swinger and superstar rap producer Dr. Dre, who provided Snoop-worthy bass-and-drum loops for three songs on the disc. While Bacharach says he is "not necessarily" a big fan of rap, he admits, "I'm a big fan of Dre's. The guy gets the most unbelievable sounds." And, he says, it was a natural collaboration. "[Dre] gave me some drum loops and said, 'Play with them and see what you come up with.'"

As for At This Time's fiery lyrics ("This stupid mess we're in just keeps getting worse/So many people dying needlessly/Looks like these liars may inherit the earth/Even pretending to pray and getting away with it" -- from "Who Are These People") Bacharach is decidedly not concerned. "I spent all this time writing love songs," he says. "I never rocked the boat. If I lose some fans, that's OK. Its important that I don't lose myself . . . I'm really trying to say what I feel."