Joshua Ledet, the powerful young gospel singer from Louisiana, was voted off Fox’s “American Idol” show on Thursday, a surprising result given how he had dominated the contest for weeks and had won over-the-top praise from the judges on the show.
Mr. Ledet’s departure means the finale next week will be a contest between Jessica Sanchez, a 16-year-old student from San Diego with great technical skills and a huge range, and Phillip Phillips, a 21-year-old alternative rocker from Georgia known for reinterpreting songs in his raspy voice, reshuffling their melodies and rhythms.
Mr. Ledet’s third-place finish is the highest a black male singer has placed in the competition since Ruben Studdard was named the winner in 2003. More than 90 million votes were cast after Wednesday’s two-hour show, but it is hardly a fair vote, nor even a scientific survey. Viewers can vote multiple times for their favorite contestant over the Internet, by telephone or by sending text messages from mobile phones.
A son of a pastor in Westlake, La., Mr. Ledet, 20, gave another strong performance during Wednesday’s competition show and earned high marks from the panel of three judges, who cannot influence the competition at this point and for the most part have taken on the role of cheerleaders.
For Wednesday’s program, each contestant was asked to sing one song chosen by the judges, one of their own choosing and one chosen by Jimmy Iovine, the record executive and producer who acts as a mentor and the music-industry guru in residence.
Mr. Ledet did a down-and-dirty version of Etta James’s “I’d Rather Be Blind” that brought the judges to their feet. His take on John Lennon’s “Imagine,” which he said he had chosen after hearing it on a car radio that week, was restrained and heartfelt. Then he delivered the kind of gospel-inspired vocal fireworks he has come to be known for on Mary J. Blige’s “No More Drama.”
But the other two singers also had good nights. Ms. Sanchez drew praise from the judges for her version of Mariah Carey’s “My All” and for her take on Aerosmith’s ballad “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” a courageous choice since one of the judges is Steven Tyler, the band’s front man. She faltered a bit on her last song, the Jackson 5 hit “I’ll Be There,” encountering a few problems with pitch.
Mr. Phillips is a singer with less range and technical skill than Ms. Sanchez, but he has developed a unique style and often takes chances. His first two performances on Wednesday got mixed marks from the judges and the studio audience, as he did a rocked-up version of the Four Seasons hit “Beggin’” and then seemed subdued yet dangerous as he took on “Disease” by Matchbox 20.
But Mr. Phillips came back strong with his last performance, singing Bob Seger’s “We’ve Got Tonight” in a way that imputed a tender loneliness and sexual longing to the song’s narrator. And he abandoned his improvisational urges and stuck close to the original melody. Mr. Iovine, who is stingy with compliments, said later it was Mr. Phillip’s best performance so far. “I was genuinely knocked out,” he said.
It was apparently enough to give him an edge over Mr. Ledet, whose loss seemed to stun the judges and Mr. Iovine. After hugging Mr. Phillips, Mr. Ledet reprised “It’s a Man’s World,” the James Brown song he sang so well last week, for his swan song. He brought his mother on stage at the very end and hugged her on the words “he wouldn’t be nothing without a woman.”
Though Mr. Ledet has lost a shot at winning the competition, he may end up winning the larger struggle in the music world. In the previous 10 seasons, the also-rans have sometimes had more real-world success than the winners. In the end, the show brought Mr. Ledet national attention as an R&B singer with a big voice who can do anything from Motown to gospel. Speaking on camera, Mr. Iovine, who heads Interscope Records, has already expressed interest in signing him to a contract, and other offers are likely to follow.
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