After the interesting but comparatively uncommercial
Less Than the Song,
Hoyt Axton justified A&M's investment with
Life Machine, the album that generated "Boney Fingers," his biggest and most enduring hit. "When the Morning Comes," which features harmony vocals by
Linda Ronstadt, also made the country Top Ten and gave
Axton his only pop hit. "Geronimo's Cadillac" is a powerful album track, and modernized versions of "That's All Right" and "Maybelline" seem appropriate for the man whose mother co-wrote "Heartbreak Hotel." Elsewhere the album takes some unusual detours of the sort that
Axton's fans come to either anticipate or endure, such as "Pet Parade," which is practically a children's song, and the slick, funky "Telephone Booth."
Axton's four albums for A&M are usually considered his best, and of those,
Life Machine may rate the highest for the inclusion of his two big hits. ~ Greg Adams