Who remembers the late '60s band It's A Beautiful Day from San Francisco? Their man in charge was David LaFlamme, who had a distinctive violin style which seemed to fit the music and the times.

Yvonne Doll and the Locals are from Chicago and My Kind of Freak is their debut release. And for some strange reason this East Coast outfit is built around a similar violin style. Unfortunately, it's too much nostalgia for almost anyone but a few retroheads. Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to like the music if you don't like the ever prominent stringed instrument.

The band is acoustic-based and sometimes gets compared to the Indigo Girls. That's mainly because of singer Yvonne Doll. Her tasty and aggressive rock guitar riffs and her rough but pleasant voice make her a credible front woman. She is also responsible for all the lyrics, which are often deeply personal, brutally honest and very much down to earth. A few years back, Doll issued some solo stuff, which also might be worth checking out (especially if it features no violin).

Another bright spot is Christy Nunes' bass lines; she's melodic, inventive and a very fine player. You can easily imagine Doll and her band roaming through the college circuit, being quite popular and making a living as a decent live band. All in their own way are able players, but at least on record things just don't gel. Perhaps if they replace the violin....