American Idol Recap: Jessica Sanchez Lays Down The Gauntlet

American Idol is now down to the final four contestants and with the field narrowing, speculation is beginning to mount as to who will be the last standing in the quest for this year's crown. The smart money, of course, is on Joshua Ledet and Jessica Sanchez to be in the final two. Both Joshua and Jessica have turned in near-flawless performances throughout the contest and the judges dramatically used their one 'save' of the season when Jessica Sanchez unexpectedly found herself at the bottom of the public vote.

Last night (May 9, 2012), Jessica performed the Etta James classic, 'Steal Away,' with Jennifer Lopez telling her "Some of the things you did in there ... you're just one of the best." Equally, her performance of Jennifer Hudson's 'And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going' was technically flawless, to the point that the judges seemed to have run out of ways to praise her. Steven Tyler managed to let her know "with a performance like that, there's nothing to say. Your vocal ability [is] not something you see all the time". Joshua Ledet sang Josh Groban's 'You Raise Me Up' and James Brown's 'It's A Man's World.' Randy Jackson was quick to praise him, telling him "I think you have a ginormous career ahead of you."

Hollie Cavanagh and Phillip Phillips could well find themselves becoming mere footnotes in the battle of Joshua and Jessica. Hollie's performance of 'I Can't Make You Love Me' wasn't quite up to standard for the judges, whilst Phillip's version of CREEDANCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL's 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain' had "pitch issues" at the start. There's little room for error at this stage of the contest and whilst Joshua and Jessica are turning in flawless performances, Hollie and Phillip could easily find themselves squeezed out of the contest.