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Like Never Before (Merle Haggard album)

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Like Never Before
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 23, 2003
GenreCountry
Length31:38
LabelHag
ProducerMerle Haggard, Lou Bradley
Merle Haggard chronology
The Peer Sessions
(2002)
Like Never Before
(2003)
I Wish I Was Santa Claus
(2004)

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.

Background

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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]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
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]

Track listing

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  1. "Haggard (Like I've Never Been Before)" (Merle Haggard, Doug Colosio) – 3:22
  2. "That's the News" (Haggard) – 2:33
  3. "Garbage Man" – 2:56
  4. "Reno Blues (Philadelphia Lawyer)" (with Willie Nelson) – 3:33
  5. "The Downside" (Haggard) – 1:59
  6. "Because of Your Eyes" (Haggard) – 3:48
  7. "Lonesome Day" (Haggard, Colosio) – 2:06
  8. "I Dreamed You Didn't Love Me" (Haggard) – 3:04
  9. "Yellow Ribbons" (Haggard) – 2:59
  10. "I Hated to See You Go" (Haggard) – 2:53
  11. "Return to San Francisco" (Haggard) – 2:25

Personnel

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  • Merle Haggard – vocals, guitar
  • Norm Hamlet – pedal steel guitar
  • Don Markham – saxophone, trumpet
  • Clint Strong – guitar
  • Red Lane – guitar
  • Doug Colosio – keyboards
  • Andy Kaulkin – piano
  • Mike Martin – harmonica
  • Willie Nelson – vocals, guitar
  • Norman Stevens – guitar
  • Kevin Williams – bass
  • Jeff Ingraham – drums
  • Kenny Malone – drums
  • Scott Joss – fiddle, guitar, background vocals
  • Theresa Lane Haggard – background vocals

References

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  1. ^ [1] [dead link]
  2. ^ a b Jurek, Tom. "Like Never Before > Review". Allmusic. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Christgau, Robert. "Like Never Before > Review". Robert Christgau. Retrieved March 5, 2015.