The War and Treaty played the Tiny Desk with an 11-piece soul band

The War and Treaty played the Tiny Desk on 23 July 2026 and NPR's Tom Huizenga, who produced the session, admitted in print that he had failed to hold back tears. Michael and Tanya Trotter, married and based in Nashville, have been doing this for more than a decade without any pretence to it.

The voices carry it. Michael can throw a gritty scream close to Bobby Womack, touched with something of Teddy Pendergrass, while Tanya can push hers toward Tina Turner. Tanya traces her career back to Washington DC. Michael's route in was stranger.

He taught himself piano as a soldier, on an instrument that happened to be in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces where his US Army unit was encamped during the Iraq War. What came afterwards was PTSD, suicidal thoughts and homelessness, and out of that he wrote Five More Minutes, which sat second in this set.

That song blends classic soul with rock, which is only two of the things the Trotters routinely fold together. Country, Americana, R&B and funk all surface in their writing, and a retro soul feel ran through the whole performance. The audience included family from the area and the DJ Donnie Simpson.

The set was Are You Ready to Love Me?, Five More Minutes, Don't Say Goodbye, Shouldn't Have and High Heels. Behind the pair stood a band of nine: Darion Hodge on bass as music director, Max Brown on guitar, Korey Keys on keys, Jonathan Holmes on drums, Blaise Hearn on trumpet, Colton Good on saxophone, Chelsey Green on violin, and Cristina Sands and Jordan Babbs on backing vocals.

Other sets from the series in our coverage include Renée Fleming and Béla Fleck on old Appalachian material and Flea with the Honora Band. More is on our rnb-soul hub.