According to MTV, Dre has supplied the beats for three tracks on Bacharach's next album. 76 year-old Bacharach said: "It's a challenging, freeing feeling to take an existing format - like these rigid, four-bar loops - and to see what you can write on top of it. It's hard and challenging too, because it does have some restrictions."

The project came about when Bacharach's UK label approached him about doing a "cutting-edge record." The songwriter said: "I had got together with Dre about a year and a half ago and talked about doing something for the album that we never did. Then he gave me the loops, and when I decided to do this album for Sony, it seemed a natural fit."

Bacharach, of course, has been writing songs for over 50 years ago for the likes of Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, the Carpenters and Neil Diamond. He says the album, due out next year, is jazz and classical music influenced rather than being a hip-hop record.

This surprising collaborative news comes via CMU. Bacharach does seem to have a habit of reinventing himself when he feels it necessary.