Theirs is a beautiful musical romance; the meeting of singer and actress Tanya Blount and Michael Trotter Jr., whose piano playing and vocal skills were discovered by fellow U.S. troops while stationed in one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces several years after 9/11, after which he was tasked with writing and performing songs in memoriam to his unit’s fallen soldiers.

They merged their voices after meeting at a music festival and dubbed themselves The War and Treaty to represent the pull between trauma and tranquility, music inspired by darkness and despair that ultimately finds a spiritual purpose. Since forming in 2014, The War and Treaty have amassed a following among fans and collaborating musicians Jason Isbell, Jerry Douglas and Punch Brothers guitarist Chris Eldridge that’s as eclectic as their sound. It’s a bluesy and joyful fusion of Southern soul, gospel, country, and rock-and-roll, built around heart-on-sleeve storytelling and poetic simplicity. Known for a live show that’s nearly revival-like in intensity, the husband-and-wife team of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Blount-Trotter create an exhilarating exchange of energy with their audience, who they adoringly call Hearts Town.

- Kerry Clarke