text: Chars music is predictable it is almost all s RB The bands play very similar song lists But that is OK for Chars audiences because they like that genre and might not want to hear anything else The music is funky and soulful and very pleasant to listen to or to dance tonnGiven that the bands play similar stuff it is easy to compare them Here is the scorecard as I see itnn Lady Jai and Essence simply the best and most talented band in the Valley Every musician is a superstar They continue to get better at what they play but they stick to the same safe RB that everyone else does at Chars Fortunately they improvise a lot so even though they play the same stuff as the other bands they play it in slightly different ways and they play it better Their music is very tight and to the point and it is funky to the max If you are going to check out Chars for the first time watch this band Tues Thurs some Satnn Monday blues jam You never know what you are going to get and that is part of the adventure It all depends on what musicians show up to play for free It is the closest thing the Valley has to a true blues jamnn Larry Bailey Wednesdays An excellent singer but he tends to get into himself too much The same songs as everyone else plays but Larry gives them a slightly different twist Sometimes he plays medleys that are too long to dance to so they are annoying and tiring The musicians get loose on the transitions because they probably get weary and they have not rehearsed when the breaks come It makes them sound more amateurish than they really are They feature a sax player which is cool nn Soul Power the same songs as the other bands but with far less energy and enthusiasm Musicians are obviously not in the same class They probably have not learned a new song in a decade and they always play the same way In their defense they do get a funky groove going but the songs are stretched way too long Soul Power fans always know what to expect and the band gives it to themnnChars has predictable music that is good to dance to Their dance floor is a disgrace because it is way too small Prices are OK nnIts too bad that the Chars bands do not make the effort at playing a different genre of song Apparently Chars audiences are into a very narrow blend of RB and they seem to be happy with it because Chars is almost always busy