Richie ray & Bobby Cruz Bring Their “Bestial Sound” Home to Puerto Rico
After a period of spiritual and musical exploration, legendary salsa duo Richie Ray and Bobby Cruz have returned to Puerto Rico, eager to share their unique sound and a message of love and salvation with their homeland. Known for their innovative arrangements – from their early “fat sauce” to their distinctive approach to Christian music – the pair have consistently prioritized quality and faithfulness to their artistic vision throughout their decades-long career.
The transition to incorporating Christian themes presented a challenge. Richie Ray explained, “When this was happening in me, I had no idea what was happening or where it was going. My first inclination was to listen to contemporary sacral music.When we did our first Christian production, called ‘Reconstruction’, I applied some ideas that I picked up, but including Latin rhythms. I thought Christians wouldn’t like them.” However, they persevered, ultimately realizing they were meant to utilize their talents to deliver a message of love and salvation.
“The challenge was to try to find a way for the message to reach people, but not from a place of being better than anyone,” Richie Ray continued. “We wanted to do it in a way that our people, the people of the street, of the town, coudl receive it and that it would penetrate, without thinking that we were judging. We made a great effort and I think that God helped us and gave us the musical direction we needed.”
Bobby Cruz’s musical journey differed, lacking formal training. He relies on an innate musicality, often hearing complex harmonies and dissonances internally. “I only listen to her in my head, I listen to dissonances and second voices, and Richie constantly told me that something was ‘illegal’, and I told her that I didn’t care, because that was what I heard in my head,” Cruz recounted.Despite their differing approaches, Richie Ray remained open to his partner’s ideas. “Richie has never been closed to my ideas, and I used to ask what I listened to, and I told him. we tried to see how.” Their collaborative spirit resulted in groundbreaking work, exemplified by the track “bestial sound,” where they deliberately “broke many rules.”
Now, the duo aims to deliver a high-quality performance and connect with the Puerto Rican audience. Richie Ray expressed deep affection for his heritage, stating, “I have always felt that I am Puerto Rican. There is my heart. the first time I heard a seis mapping, I cried like a child. It was something incredible. These are my roots, so I feel very happy of this prospect.” He acknowledged their age but remained optimistic about future creative endeavors, adding, “We are always creating, inventing, doing things and we have many ideas.”
At 88 years old, Bobby Cruz views performing as a divine gift. “To this point of my career, of my life, to be able to climb to a stage and do my job is a gift from God, I am sure,” he saeid with a playful challenge, “I am tenor, I have to reach those notes, the people who come expect to listen to them, and they will not judge me if I do not reach them, but if they believe that I cannot do it, just come and see.”