first instrumental
album,Freedom (2000), this
album features a 65-piece
orchestra at AIR Studios
Lyndhurts Hall in London and
Wildwood Recording Studio in
Nashville.
Smith's concert in Draper,
Utah, on July 24, 2012 was
almost canceled due to a
complaint filed by a Utah
resident on July 16, 2012. He
claimed that a show "conflated
with prayer and worship"
should remain in church or
private property, not in
"public's backyard". The
following day the city council
decided to cancel the concert,
but a day later they decided to
host the show as planned after
all after a criticism from a Utah
evangelical group that equated
cancelling the concert to an
assault on religious liberty. The
Mayor of Draper and several
city council members were
present at the event and were
recognized for their support.
In 2014, Smith released three
albums, Hymns, Sovereign,
and The Spirit of
Christmas. Hymns is Smith's
first effort at doing his own
rendition of traditional hymns,
and it was released exclusively
at Cracker Barrel Old Country
Store on March 24, 2014. The
album sold 12,000 copies in its
first week of release and
debuted at No. 24 on the
US Billboard 200. It was also
the best-selling Christian
music album for the week of
April 19, 2014, and won 2014
Dove Award for "Inspirational
Album of the Year". Sovereign,
released on May 13, 2014, is
his first studio worship album
and his first album released
through Capitol Records, after
leaving his long-time label
Reunion Records in 2013. The
album sold almost 16,000
copies in its first week, and
debuted at No. 10 on
the Billboard 200, making it
the highest charting album in
his career as of 2014. The
Spirit of Christmas, officially
released as Michael W. Smith
& Friends: The Spirit of
Christmas, is Smith's first duet
album. Released on September
30, 2014, it features duets
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