A band that I’ve grown fond of lately is The Welcome Wagon. Rather than attempt to describe their music, I’ll let them speak for themselves. From their bio page on Asthmatic Kitty (Sufjan Steven’s label):
The Welcome Wagon is a married couple, the Reverend Thomas Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique, who execute a genre of gospel music that is refreshingly plain. Their hymns are modest and melodic takes on a vast history of sacred song traditions, delivered with the simple desire to know their Maker—and to know each other—more intimately.
The reason I’m sharing the goodness that is Vito and Monique with you is that they have recently released a four-song EP entitled, Purity of Heart Is to Will One Thing.
And while the songs are characteristically good, I’m passing along because…
Before the completion of their debut album Welcome to the Welcome Wagon, Vito and Monqiue learned of Freeset, a fair-trade business in India that helps women escape the sex trade in Kolkata. By providing women with the opportunity to start new lives, regain dignity in their communities, and begin a journey towards healing and wholeness, Freeset seeks to break the cycle of poverty and exploitation for these women once and for all.
So, The Welcome Wagon married these additional songs to their desire to help the brave women Freeset helps. The result is the EP Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to Freeset.