CCM icon Michael W. Smith has just released his first studio worship album since 2008 on May 13. Sovereign is a new creative endeavor for the three time Grammy winner whose previous worship projects have sold over 3.5 million.

Smith is easily one of the founding pillars of CCM and in recent years has become one of its most prominent worship leaders. On this album, he proves he is still relevant and wants to bridge the gap with the next generation of worship leaders with a duet with Jesus Culture's Kari Jobe.

After listening to Sovereign, it gracefully swims between Christian contemporary and worship music. He updates his signature pop rock sound by taking cues from the folk rock trend. The album is a musical journey reflecting our search for God and that God will always be there to guide us like He guided the Israelites out of Egypt with a pillar of fire through the night.

The album opens with atmospheric piano, and Smith's vocals in the radio single, "You Won't Let Go."

The next song, "Heaven Come Down," is a prayer that sets the tone for the album, crying out to God to open our hearts and to fill us with His holy fire. It directly flows into "Miracle," where Smith cries out, "A rebel heart, a restless soul/ I lost my sight, I lost control/ a cry for hope, could I be saved?/ You found a way, You found a way."

The rest of the tracks can all be heard and embraced in a corporate worship setting, especially "All Arise" and "The Same Power." "You are the Fire" is an extension of "All Arise" and could be a new worship anthem for the church with the lyrics, "Fan the flames till the whole world sees us burn/ You are the fire."

Sovereign ends with a simple duet with Kari Jobe of Jesus Culture, "The One That Really Matters." It is simple in its melody as well as message.

Smith's Sovereign was released on May 13.