I Am Not a Dog on a Chain

In a statement, Morrissey called the album "the very best of me" and "too good to be true [...] too true to be considered good".[1] Producer Joe Chiccarelli described it as Morrissey's "boldest and most adventurous album yet", claiming that he has "pushed the boundaries yet again – both musically and lyrically".[3]

The album was produced by Joe Chiccarelli and recorded at Studio La Fabrique in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France, as well as Sunset Sound in Hollywood.[3][4]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	62/100[5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
The A.V. Club	B−[6]
AllMusic	[7]
The Independent	[8]
NME	[9]
Pitchfork	6.1/10[10]
The Telegraph	[11]

I Am Not a Dog on a Chain currently holds a score of 62 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on 13 reviews.[5] Josh Modell of The A.V. Club gave the album a B− and felt that the lyrical content was the weakest but that Morrissey displayed songcraft and "a great vocal performance".[6] The editorial staff of AllMusic gave the album 3.5 out of five stars, with reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine summing up his review by calling the album "one of the better latter-day Morrissey records" but decrying how "placid and complacent he's been for the better part of a decade".[7] Mina Tavakoli of Pitchfork rated the album 6.1 out of 10 and called it "frequently ridiculous, mildly captivating, and occasionally repetitive, pocked by moments of goofiness that come from the runoff of a man eager to chase old miseries and find new ones to berate".[10]

Writing for The Independent, Jake Cudsi rated the album two out of five stars, opining that it "has its moments, but they are brief and virtually lost amid the more experimental forays".[8] Laura Snapes of The Guardian also gave the album two out of five stars, judging that Morrissey plays the "victim" and is "often lost among the strident music as he hectors people afraid to be themselves", although his "coyness undermines his apparent glee as a truth-teller".[12] "Morrissey delivers his best musical performance in years"[13] - AP, "His best album in years."[14]- NME "..at 60, he’s never been a better singer."[15] AV Club

• Morrissey – vocals

Additional musicians

• Boz Boorer – string arrangements (1), saxophone (3), acoustic guitar (4, 8, 11), electric guitar (7), mandolin (8, 9), zither (9), clarinet (11)
• Joe Chiccarelli – production, engineering, drum programming (1, 11), synthesizer (10)
• Daniel Cayotte – recitation (10)
• Sally Chae – backing vocals (7)
• Mike Daly – drum programming and synthesizer (8)
• Glendale Tab & Apple Choir – vocals (11)
• Thelma Houston – vocals (3)
• Sean Hurley – bass guitar (5)
• Victor Indrizzo – drums (5)
• Greg Leisz – pedal steel guitar (4)
• Danny Levin – trumpet (7)
• Mando Lopez – bass guitar
• Roger Manning – harmonium, horn, Mellotron, organ, piano, string arrangements, synthesizer, backing vocals
• Gustavo Manzur – accordion, drum programming, nylon string guitar, Mellotron, piano, synthesizer, backing vocals
• Karla Manzur – backing vocals (2)
• Rose Mary – laughing (10)
• David Ralicke – saxophone (3)
• Bridget Regan – fiddle (8)
• Megan Sluiter – laughing (10)
• Jesse Tobias – acoustic and electric guitars, recitation, electric sitar
• Matt Walker – drums, percussion

Technical personnel

• John Fekner – photography
• Miro La Gagioia – assistant engineering
• Liam Lynch – artwork, design
• Ken Sluiter – mixing
• Chris Stewart – cover photo
• Jose Vergara – photography
• Emily Lazar – mastering engineering
• Chris Allgood – assistant mastering engineering

• List of 2020 albums

• I Am Not a Dog on a Chain at Discogs (list of releases)
• I Am Not a Dog on a Chain at MusicBrainz (list of releases)