The War And Treaty

For the past decade, soulful duo The War And Treaty—the husband-and-wife team of Michael and Tanya Trotter—have released music that continues to elevate them beyond beloved industry favorites, as well as award-season and touring staples, capable of performing on stages worldwide with widespread acclaim and standing ovations.

Every aspect of their new album The Story of Michael and Tanya exemplifies the pinnacle of the group’s ever-creative growth within these mentioned ideas.

Twelve years after their founding, The War And Treaty have redefined themselves beyond Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association, and GRAMMY nominations. Moreover, being lauded by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, and the Americana Music Association, which named them Duo/Group of the Year for two consecutive years, cannot contain them as a group greater than the sum of their most successful parts.

Immediately upon listening to the new project, it’s clear that a more vibrant energy now guides a duo confidently shaping their own destiny.

Album collaborators include titans of the arts who are as much friends, mentors, and trusted confidants as they are legends across multiple industries: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner Whoopi Goldberg (who provides the spoken word intro for “Litty”), Songwriters Hall of Famer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds (writer of “You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore”), Country Music Hall of Famer Wynonna Judd, and Grammy-nominated performer Valerie June (both on “Reclaim All Of Your Time”) all contribute as guest artists.

Hall of Fame-caliber mentors and influential friends, now serving as relaxed collaborators, shape how powerhouse country-soul vocalists like Valerie June and Wynonna Judd influence The War And Treaty’s latest sound.

The duo’s pairing is less unlikely than it appears at first glance: both grew up listening to classic country and Memphis soul records, among many other genres. As a result, on the song “Reclaim All of Your Time,” their styles blend seamlessly with Tanya Trotter’s veteran gospel-soul stylings.

For nearly five years after writing the folksy, female-empowerment ballad, Michael Trotter, its creator, believed it should be presented as a conversational piece with layered harmonies.

He was right. The song, both in its composition and vocal delivery, combines warmth and strength to forge a rare genre bridge.

Beyond collaborations, The War And Treaty’s latest work also thoughtfully seeks to expand Ray Charles’ 50-year-old idea that the best music exists in the tension between sacred sounds and secular desires.

Given that Michael and Tanya Trotter are a married couple, their ability to explore that space is obvious. Yet, their decade-long efforts to meet industry expectations in folk, Americana, and country music left significant raw and romantic potential in their sound untapped.

“We’re finally performing material that shows people how, beyond being mature and intentional, how sanctified and sexual we can be,” says Tanya Trotter. “For Michael and me, it’s important to show the combination of rawness and sweetness that underlies our soulful sound.”

“It’s a privilege to be Tanya’s husband,” Michael Trotter says with a sly twinkle in his eye. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to witness every aspect of her life. It lets me see her power in humanity and spirit in ways most people never will.”

In a way similar to the 2025 “Plus One” album track “Mr. Fun,” the duo revisits direct, earnest, sexy, and, yes, intense honky-tonk-meets-juke-joint-style storytelling in “Darlene and Gene.” It’s a dusty soul song reminiscent of blues records, whether from Chicago, Illinois, or Clarksdale, Mississippi.

“Holy Ghost Fire” elevates whatever themes previous efforts like “Mr. Fun” and “Darlene and Gene” established for the duo by timelessly connecting multiple generations of soul music to humanity, a value beyond measure.

A love and heartbreak song that Michael Trotter has waited his whole life to sing is starkly wrapped in a domestic violence-survival anthem that Tanya Trotter has endured to vocalize. That inherent tension is reflected in the song’s tone and tenor. It ignites like a torch rather than a stick, sparking a five-alarm blaze rather than a small fire. Through the song, both parts of The War And Treaty finally confront their core truths at the height of their artistic power. Embracing their creative calling, rather than just skimming the surface, is the victory not only of what the explosive “Holy Ghost Fire” represents but of the entire album.

“For The War And Treaty, feeling every aspect of what we’re writing and singing has grown from representing routine emotions to now demanding that people connect with our spirit,” says Michael Trotter.

“Evoking hard, honest emotions first required me to find those parts in myself,” Tanya Trotter adds. “Once you find them, there’s a strength to the urgency that feels like you’ll be at your wits' end if you don’t express that emotion.”

As for what the record offers next, the inclusion of superstar songwriter Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds as a contributor for “You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore” was a conscious choice, aligning the duo with an empathetic lineage that starts with Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, and Donny Hathaway.

Michael and Tanya Trotter’s combined musical and emotional intelligence allows their new songs to gently but firmly address the world’s complexities.

“The power of language is that it can peacefully balance emotions,” says Tanya Trotter. “However, for many generations, even when the conversations don’t use words, it’s always been important (first and foremost), not to question where an emotion is coming from, but instead understand the context (that created them),” adds Michael Trotter.

“Sometimes, when I was a child, my mother would be crying while she was washing dishes, and I would watch my grandmother come over and put a hand on her shoulder — no words, just love.”

“In any context, embracing sharing the beauty of completing conversations with each other, with humility and love, is needed in our world now, more than ever. Because we’re born into this world drenched in love, we all have enough of it to share.”