‘American Idol’ Hopeful Jessica Sanchez Shows Vocal Prowess on ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ + ‘Dance With My Father’

It’s down to the final six in ‘American Idol’ after Colton Dixon was eliminated last week. Now, with the stakes high and no saves left for the judges to exercise, the remaining hopefuls seem to understand just how serious the competition has become.

After a little locker room pep talk from original Queen members Roger Taylor and Brian May, the Top 6 took the stage with the rockers for a medley of classic Queen songs. Jessica Sanchez sang 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' followed by a rendition of Luther Vandross' 'Dance with My Father.'

Following the mashup of ‘Fat Bottomed Girls,’ ‘Another One Bites The Dust,’ ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘We Are the Champions,’  Sanchez was the first to take the stage for her solo performance. Bringing the classic 1975 hit 'Bohemian Rhapsody' to the 'Idol' stage, 17-year-old Sanchez put a beautiful melodic spin on the song, but never quite landed in the realm of the screaming rocker energy that made Freddie Mercury so dynamic.

But you've got to hand it to her -- it really was a pretty version of the song. We weren't positive how we felt about the three giant pictures of her head singing on the screen behind her, but we get that it was a throwback to the band's original music video.

After the songstress' performance wrapped, the judges were overall positive, with Steven Tyler pointing out that rock definitely isn't Sanchez' forte but that she was great nonetheless. Perhaps the most positive, Randy Jackson said, "I actually loved it because what you did was you also used that great restraint.” He suggested that she watch some videos of Tina Turner and try to channel the femme rocker's vibe.

For her second song, Sanchez dug deep and made it extremely personal with Luther Vandross' 'Dance with My Father.' The self-proclaimed "daddy's girl" said her own father has been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq in the past and he's getting ready for another deployment to Singapore. Though he couldn't make it tonight, he's going to be at Thursday's live show.

Looking stunning in a bright yellow dress, Sanchez put every ounce of her being into the song, showing her vocal range and age-defying ability, and there were some tears in those pretty brown eyes by the end. We're guessing one proud papa was watching his little girl tonight. And the judges weren't any less proud, singing their praises over the young hopeful.

“That may have been the best I’ve ever heard that song," J.Lo began. "And we’ve heard a lot of people sing that song. The tenderness, the feeling, your vocal ability – everything.” Steven Tyler offered his two cents next, saying, “I don’t think you could sing a song bad. Your voice is so different than anybody else’s.”

Randy Jackson summed it up, saying, “Every time you get up and sing, you know what’s wrong with it? Absolutely nothing!”

Watch Jessica Sanchez Perform 'Bohemian Rhapsody' on 'American Idol'

Watch Jessica Sanchez Perform 'Dance With My Father' on 'American Idol'