The Dodds Find Freedom And Rest In ‘The Light Sessions’

Master August 15, 2023 3 min read 0

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The Light Sessions, the highly anticipated new EP from Texas-based husband/wife duo The Dodds, arrives August 25. Produced by Tyler Dodds, the six-song set is hallmarked by ambient, ethereal soundscapes and showcases three worshipful originals penned by The Dodds, as well as an artful reimagination of the sacred favorite “In The Garden,” and an evocative cover of Jill Phillips’ 1999 classic “I Am.”

Along with Tyler and Bailey Dodds, The Light Sessions features musical collaborators Joe Aylor (Bare Heights) and Jenn McGuire and celebrates a new season for The Dodds as they walk in the fullness and freedom of rest in Christ. “Our prayer for The Light Sessions is that God would use it to remind us that He is all about relationship with us,” says Bailey Dodds.

“His burden is light, and He wants to engage with us in this journey. He is not just watching over us; He has connected Himself to us, and His yoke is easy and brings rest. The light this shines on our life changes everything.”

The gentle and buoyant opening track, “Shaping My Heart,” sets the overarching lyrical and musical tone for The Light Sessions. A timely reminder that God constantly pursues His beloved, the song was written by The Dodds from opposite sides of the world.

“Last year I was at a retreat in Switzerland leading worship for a group of pastors and global servants, and each day I took a long walk to meditate on the scriptures we were studying,” Tyler Dodds shares. “As I wrestled with the reality of the peaks and valleys of life—knowing of people in my life who have experienced such deep valleys—I asked God, ‘What’s the point?’ Out came this prayer responding to the truth that our circumstances don’t change God’s character.

If I really believe that He loves us, these experiences with Him are shaping us more into His likeness. The beginnings of the first verse and chorus of ‘Shaping My Heart’ came to my mind in Switzerland, and then Bailey, who was back in Texas, wrote the second verse and bridge.”

In addition, Bailey Dodds’ tenderly personal new take on Jill Phillips’ “I Am” is among the EP’s standout tracks. A foundational song of her teenage years, the message took on an even deeper meaning for Bailey last year as Ukraine was attacked.

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“I remember at 15 being deeply stirred by the poetic lyrics of ‘I Am,’ and it was the first song that came to my heart while Tyler and I were in eastern Europe last year serving and leading worship when the war began,” Bailey Dodds recalls.

“It’s what I believe to be God’s message to His children for such a time as this. ‘I Am’ is my war cry over sickness and death: ‘I am constant/I am near/I am peace that shatters all your secret fears.’ It’s time for these lyrics to come back around and touch the ears and lips of people who need a lullaby to root in their hearts for the darker days of this pilgrimage.”

Various singles from The Light Sessions have already been showcased on Spotify’s “New Music Friday Christian” and “Calming Christian,” as well as Apple Music’s “New In Christian” and “Inspired Chill,” among other leading playlists to date. The Light Sessions will be distributed by New Day Christian Distributors.