Maria Jose Castillo, from Heredia, is in Latin American Idol for another week

Despite harsh criticism from the judges, Maria Jose Castillo received enough votes to remain in the Latin American Idol Competition. This week, the genre was rock and it was obvious that it is not her forte. Her pitch and tone remained flawless, but she lacked the raw power and emotion that rock requires. Of course, not all singers can sing every song ever written. If that were the case, then there would be no need for the different music genres.

We might be a little biased, but we believe that she has received some undue criticism. She has been criticized for her look, stage presence, voice strength and even her song choice, but not for her voice. We understand that this is an idol competition, and the best singers don’t necessarily win. However, this past Wednesday, Maria Jose was told that she should have acted more like a rocker. This puts her in a no win situation. Had she acted like a rocker, she would have been criticized for imitating. Since she didn’t act more like a rocker, she was criticized for that.

In the end, she is just being herself and having fun. We hope that the criticism doesn’t get to her because she has genuine vocal talent. This may be a popularity contest like much else in the world today and not necessarily a singing competition. In spite of that, she has already won the hearts of millions of admirers in Costa Rica and around the world, including TicosLand.com.

Show your support for Maria Jose and send the text message “Maria” to the number 43657 when the voting opens next week.