Keeping up with Brooke Barrettsmith

Many fans were disheartened when 24-year-old Brooke Barrettsmith of Spring Grove, Ill., was cut after reaching the Top 40 on the fifth season of Idol (her younger sister, Leah, whom she auditioned with, was cut earlier in the Hollywood round).

But the Christian rocker has not let her failure on Idol deterred her motivation to pursue a career in music. Brooke, now signed to Essential Records, will release her debut, self-titled album on Aug. 19. The first single from the album, "Farewell," is now available to purchase on iTunes and can be streamed in its entirety on her official music MySpace page.

Brooke is currently on tour with fellow Christian rock bands Pillar, Wavorly and Building 429. The next date of the tour will be Sun., June 29, at FirstEnergy Ballpark in Lakewood, N.J.