Tanya Blount-Trotter and
Michael Trotter Jr., the couple behind the Nashville rock and soul act
the War and Treaty, have a knack for dynamics. When they first appeared on the Americana scene in 2017, they did so with immediate gusto, delivering a fully formed and extremely confident amalgam of soul, folk, R&B, and country sung with the passion of gospel and the muscle of rock. While the husband-and-wife team may be relatively new as a musical duo, between them exists an interesting and varied catalog of credits dating back to the 1990s. On
Hearts Town, the follow-up to their 2018 breakout
Healing Tide, the Trotters crank up the power even further, turning in a deeply compassionate collection that is almost cinematic in its scope, though still a lot of fun. Self-produced and featuring a bevy of roots music staples, from instrumentalists like dobro legend
Jerry Douglas and guitarist
Chris Eldridge to singer/songwriter
Jason Isbell, the album kicks off with a rock & roll flourish, with songs like "Yearning" and the
Isbell-assisted "Beautiful" rippling with heavy guitars, horn stacks, and the full-bore attack of the Trotters' exuberant, intermingling vocals. A more soulful highlight is the playful and rousing "Five More Minutes," which features some of
Michael's best vocal takes. Midway through, they take a breath with the stripped-down acoustic gospel-folk gem "Jubilee" before revving back up with the joyous, bluesy ballad "Hey Pretty Moon," a showcase for
Tanya's massive vocal range. Elsewhere they take curious, but somehow effective, forays into energetic pop ("Jealousy"), torchy ballads ("Lonely in My Grief"), and elegant, earthy folk ("Hustlin'"). At times, the production threatens to become a little too heavy-handed, but with voices and talent like the Trotters possess, going big seems less a sin than underrepresenting their strengths. ~ Timothy Monger
![Eloise [Bonus Tracks]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0884502371789_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "Eloise [Bonus Tracks]")
![Countless Branches [Deluxe Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0656605151120_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Countless Branches [Deluxe Edition]")
