Like Never Before (album)
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. 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. Reception. Thom Jurek of Allmusic praises the album, calling it "meticulously crafted and arranged, full of beautiful charts and striking vocal and instrumental performances." In his review, music critic Robert Christgau only wrote "Rebel, patriot, musician, legend, populist, sentimentalist, small businessman."