Phillip Phillips, Jessica Sanchez | featured news

Phillip Phillips, a bluesy Georgia guitar man, was crowned the new "American Idol" on Wednesday after defeating teenager Jessica Sanchez in record viewer voting. He was the fifth male "Idol" winner in a row.

“American Idol” will feature a contrast of styles in its final performance episode Tuesday night as it comes down to contemporary artist Phillip Phillips and timeless teenage prodigy Jessica Sanchez. One option is contemporary artist Phillip Phillips. The affable former pawn shop worker with a sneaky snarky side doesn’t offer the most technically perfect vocals in the world, but he does have the most radio-ready voice, and proves that every week by picking songs and arrangements that are easily imagined on the radio. He gets criticized by some “Idol” fans for being Dave Matthews 2.0, but the show’s brass would jump for joy if he had anything resembling Matthews’ career.