Hallelujah! Following a five-year absence from the dance floor, Vernessa Mitchell is back, bringing her inspirational message to the sweaty, strobe-lit masses once more.

“Rise!” is a stompin’ new gospel house anthem of a piece with previous highs “Reap (What You Sow),” “This Joy,” “Serious,” and “Took My Life” (2004’s biggest club hit, according to Billboard). Mitchell always reaches deep to sing from the utter depths of her soul, so whether you’re a true believer or not is a bit beside the point, as her powerhouse vocals never fail to hit home.

“Rise!” is Mitchell’s inaugural single for DJ Jerome Farley’s just-launched label, Continuous Cool. Formerly Junior Vasquez’s manager and A&R Director for Eightball Records, Farley co-wrote “Rise!” with Mitchell and Steve Feldman, and remixed the tune with co-producer Floor One, plus Del Pino Brothers and Midnight Express. “Rise!” continues its climb up the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart this week, rising from 44 to 41.

The Farley/Floor One mix is my top pick. Hear here:

If “Rise!” has you wanting more from Vernessa Mitchell, check out her new career greatest-hits set, Love Is The Message, filled with the most famous mixes. Online retailer Perfect Beat reportedly has dibs on an exclusive double-disc release coming soon.

Purchase Vernessa Mitchell – “Rise!” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.