Cristian Shows Talent, but Act Needs Polish

Is Cristian, who made his U.S. debut on Friday night at the sold-out Universal Amphitheatre, a genuine talent--or simply a show-biz phenom?

The 20-year-old Mexican sensation, son of soap opera superstar and singer Veronica Castro and himself a former child actor, certainly enthralled his mostly female fans with his performance, but questions remain.

Cristian (he only uses his first name) employed a varied and above-average selection of songs, especially ballads that exhibited far more character than the works used by most exponents of romantic Latin pop. The highlight was an especially sensitive, acoustic rendition in English of Sting’s “Shape of My Heart.”

The young singer exuded confidence and has put together a young and solid five-piece band. But he’s still somewhat raw, showing limited command as a performer and often stumbling when trying to reach high notes.

The capacity crowd showed supreme patience, waiting nearly two hours for the concert to begin--a delay caused by transportation problems involving Cristian’s band, organizers said.

It was obvious when Cristian finally made it to the stage that he has some talent, but he needs to realize that he must work on both his singing and stage presence if he is to be more than simply a popular attraction.