Like Never Before | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 23, 2003 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 31:38 | |||
Label | Hag | |||
Producer | Merle Haggard, Lou Bradley | |||
Merle Haggard chronology | ||||
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Like Never Before is the fifty-fifth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard. It was released in 2004 on his own label, Hag Records.
After several gospel and roots music albums, this collection boasts a more diverse musical landscape than his critically acclaimed comeback album If I Could Only Fly, ranging from the western swing of "Garbage Man" and "Lonesome Day" to the jazz-inflected "Because of Your Eyes" and the mariachi-infused "Return to San Francisco". Haggard duets with friend Willie Nelson on "Reno Blues". The album is perhaps best remembered for the song "That's the News", a scathing indictment of media culture and the Bush administration's handling of the war in Iraq in the early 2000s. In a 2006 interview the notoriously patriotic Haggard defended the Dixie Chicks, after they were lambasted for their criticism of President George W. Bush. [1]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Robert Christgau | ** [3] |
Thom Jurek of Allmusic praises the album, calling it "meticulously crafted and arranged, full of beautiful charts and striking vocal and instrumental performances." [2] In his review, music critic Robert Christgau only wrote "Rebel, patriot, musician, legend, populist, sentimentalist, small businessman." [3]