Carried by faith

The very thing that Brooke Barrettsmith tries to avoid -- competition -- is the very thing responsible for her new career as a solo artist.

On the brink of a fresh calendar year, Barrettsmith's 2008 date book is already well-inked -- with concerts and tour dates, promotional gigs and the June release of her debut album.

No ordinary contest could have made such an impact, but "American Idol" is far from run-of-the-mill.

It's not so much that the megahit TV series gave her the exposure she needed -- Barrettsmith and her sister, Leah, already had shared the stage nationally with big-name artists on the Christian music scene.

But as a Top-40 contender in the fifth season, the Taylor Hicks year of "American Idol," Brooke learned she could go it alone.

Brooke Barrettsmith will perform in concert at 7 p.m. Saturday at Huntley's Faith Community Church.

She'll perform songs from her new CD, as yet untitled, as well as Christmas praise and worship.

Her boyfriend, Billy Adams, who also plays in her upcoming tour band, will join her on guitar.

"I'm so excited to do this show," said Barrettsmith, 25, a Spring Grove resident.

"This church has blessed me so much, and I'm excited to have the opportunity to bless them back."

Senior pastor Bruce Cole said teens in his church were impressed with Barrettsmith at a concert she played last year for a high school ministry called Young Life.

The singer/songwriter considers teens her main audience, and she writes to reach them.

"They're dying for someone to say something," she said.

"Personally, I'm tired of listening to artists that are full of angst and hopelessness and nothing of substance to say.

"I want kids to know that there is hope in Jesus, and I've found that in God," she said.

"When you know the Lord, you do have hope, and you have peace in the middle of the storm of life."

Her genre of choice is Christian rock/pop, leaning more heavily on rock, she said.

For five years the Barrettsmith sisters fronted a group, Two 4 One, which also included their older brothers, Scott Jr. ("Tuff") and Victor, on bass and drums.

Brooke also played guitar in the family band, which was coached and managed by their dad, the Rev. Scott Barrettsmith of Spring Grove Bible Fellowship, and mom, Julie. Two 4 One made two CDs and opened for Steven Curtis Chapman, Audio Adrenaline, Toby Mac, SuperChick, Twila Paris and others.

But the girls' musical and ministry styles began to diverge, and advisers suggested they might be more effective on their own.

The group disbanded. As a sort of last fling, Leah talked her sister into going down to Soldier Field in 2005 for the Chicago auditions of "American Idol."

Brooke was reluctant; she doesn't like competition.

God gives everyone different talents in different amounts, she reasons, so why would people judge the quality of each other's gifts?

But Leah prevailed.

"Doing American Idol together was kind of our last sister thing," Barrettsmith said, adding that she and Leah, four years younger, remain best friends even as they pursue music careers separately.

Upwards of 15,000 people sang their hearts out over three days at the Bears' stadium; only about 30, however -- including both Barrettsmiths -- were chosen for the next stage of competition in Hollywood.

It was a difficult week.

"You don't sleep, you don't eat because of the stress," Brooke said.

"It's unbelievable. It's almost unbearable, and I really commend the contestants who make it in the competition because they endure it every day."

The sisters went home for Christmas at the end of the week, but only Brooke returned after the holidays because Leah had been cut.

Leah still finished with the honor of Top 90, but it was an emotional time for the family.

"I think we both thought the other would make it," Brooke said.

"My heart was broken for her. It was the first time we were faced with doing music apart."

When the Top 40 contestants eventually were trimmed to 24, Brooke was packing her bags, too.

When the judges announced their decision, Barrettsmith said, "I sighed in relief and blew them a kiss and said 'thank you' and went home with confidence that God was pointing me in another direction."

The tears still came, she admits, but she's glad anyway that Leah talked her into the experience.

"I'm very thankful for 'American Idol,'" said Barrettsmith.

"It's a huge part of the journey that I'm on now. It gave me the confidence to pursue music on my own, to believe in the gift that God has given me as an individual."

And how.

She has opened on her own now for Jeremy Camp and Sonic Flood, and also does mainstream venues when allowed to talk about her faith.

Her first solo CD was wrapped up just two weeks ago for Provident/Sony BMG.

And this spring Barrettsmith embarks on her first tour, joining established bands Pillar and Building 429, and newcomer Wavorly, in visiting churches across the country.

"We'll be bringing Christian rock to the church doors, so parents and leaders can see how relevant and effective the message is," she said.

This weekend's concert at Faith Community, which is outside Huntley at the corner of Algonquin and Haligus roads, is free to the public.

A Michael Jordan-autographed basketball will be raffled at the event to benefit the congregation's Good Samaritan Fund for needy people in the community.

For details, contact the church at (224) 569-6501.