Tú Con Él
Frankie Ruiz · 1985 · from the album Solista pero no Solo
Salsa romántica's breakthrough hit: love-song lyrics, a smooth groove, and the singer they still call the father of salsa.
- salsa romántica
- coro and soneo
Why it matters
Puerto Rican singer Frankie Ruiz sang with La Solución and with Tommy Olivencia's orchestra before going solo in 1985. His first solo album, Solista pero no Solo, went to number one on Billboard's Tropical Albums chart, and Tú Con Él was its hit.
It helped make salsa romántica the sound of the late 1980s: smoother, and about love, where much 1970s salsa had been about life in the barrio. People still call Ruiz “El Papá de la Salsa”.
What to listen for
- A smooth, steady groove and a love song in front: the arrangement stays out of the way of the voice. That's salsa romántica, and it's made for close, connected social dancing.
- As in most salsa, once a short coro line starts repeating with the singer answering it, you're in the montuno. The energy lifts there, so save your bigger turn patterns for it.