There are seven new songs here, none exactly Axton's best. And the numbers he borrows (Chuck Berry's "Maybelline," Michael Murphey's "Geronimo's Cadillac") have been done so well elsewhere that even a fireball vocalist might have shied away from them, let alone one of Axton's limited abilities. But he gets away with it, turning what ought to have been a mediocre set into a likable one — thanks to his nice arranging ideas and a slew of talented friends. The gritty vocal on "Maybelline" is played off against a spirited arrangement and backup singing by Clydie King; the best new song here, "When the Morning Comes," is fleshed out with Linda Ronstadt's harmonies. Tom Scott leads a horn section on half the cuts, while James Burton appears on electric guitar and dobro. In fact, on Life Machine, Axton himself seems to have been more maestro than main attraction. (RS 163)

JANET MASLIN