Preview by Dan Moffat
With his eyes obscured under the shadow of a cowboy hat, Michael Trotter of The War and Treaty quietly began the song “Mr. Fun” at The Late Show with Steven Colbert last month. He and wife Tanya slowly turned up the heat from a bubble, to a simmer, to a full boil. At that last moment he finally left the shadow behind and met the pinnacle of the song sharing vocal fireworks with his wife, Tanya.
Unwavering Pudding Readers, I caught this live performance and I needed to get the story.
The War and Treaty are an electrifying country, r&b, and gospel crossover band made up of married musical duo Michael and Tanya Trotter. It’s been a busy time for the couple as they are touring in support of their latest album, Plus One. I asked about a typical date night, and Tanya joked, “We’re musicians!” She then admitted that Michael is very romantic and likes to plan dates. However, their whirlwind work schedules rarely allow for more than ordering Indian food and watching a rom-com together (cue: Tanya ribs Michael for crying during a recent viewing of “Life in a Year”).
The playful chemistry between the couple is palpable and translates to a strong connection on the stage, making The War and Treaty a must-see live show. Country music superstar Zach Bryan said he “lost it” during their performance and immediately scheduled a recording session. The result was The War and Treaty’s first hit song, “Hey Driver.”
Off the success of “Hey Driver,” The War and Treaty set to work on Plus One with one clear mission in mind – that the new album contains at least five songs that they could send to country radio. This time, it was Michael Trotter who lost it:
“I did lose myself. I started to thirst for the ‘country radio hit.’ You see all the number ones and you see the successes of people who you’re walking with, and they’re in country music. They thrive off those number one radio hits. It seems like every artist has a number one. They say, ‘here’s the formula.’ And then you create based on what they say and you lose sight of what’s real.”
“I remember me saying to my wife, you know, I don’t want to chase that anymore. I’m going after what’s real to me, what I feel.”
The new album Plus One is an 18-track sprawling artistic statement. Plus One encompasses country, r&b, gospel, and rock for a multi-genre play through, all featuring their indelible Southern Baptist church trained voices.
Their visual aesthetic is emblematic of this crossover ethos. Michael Trotter works to meld the country western style that he grew up with, combining it with a dashiki by company, “Africa Blooms.”
“What I wanted to do was combine the worlds of the fashions that I love. …and that statement is we’re all one and the same.
Come dressed for “Mr. Fun” and bring your “plus one” when The War and Treaty take on The Sinclair in Cambridge on April 6th.