Healing Tide is the debut studio album by American duo The War and Treaty, released on August 10, 2018, by Strong World Entertainment with marketing and distribution by Thirty Tigers. Produced and recorded by Buddy Miller, the album peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums chart and at number twenty-six on the Independent Albums chart.
Background
Before combining to form The War and Treaty, Michael Trotter Jr. sang in church before serving two tours of duty in Iraq. Recalling his time on duty, Trotter Jr. expressed "I didn’t think I would make it back home [...] I only knew music was what I love, it was soothing. A lot of times they said Trotter why don’t you sing?" Jewly Hight of National Public Radio writes he 'was dealt the singular sacred duty of paying tribute to fallen comrades in song'. Chris Estey of Paste explains further, 'a burden was placed in his heart to create music like this, confronting every evil and rhapsodizing about long-held-off freedoms in this world. His powerful voice got into the media through broadcast talent shows in service to the military; it almost redeemed the loneliness and suffering of being stationed away from all he loved.' Following his tour of duty, Hight writes that Trotter Jr. struck 'out as a smoothly seductive R&B singer-songwriter, citing influences like Gerald Levert and Tyrese'.
Tanya Blount Trotter first came to prominence in the 1993 film and soundtrack Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, where her duet with Lauryn Hill on "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" was cited as a memorable moment by MadameNoire. The following year, her debut album Natural Thing was released, featuring the internationally charting single "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" and "Through the Rain" which peaked at number twenty-seven on the US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number ninety on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1995, she featured on "Freedom (Theme from Panther)" the title song for the film Panther, which peaked at number forty-five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top twenty of the US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The same year, Blount received a nomination for Best New Artist at the Soul Train Awards.
Bruce Warren of WXPN explains, 'After he [Michael Trotter Jr.] left the service, he met Tanya at a music festival they were both playing. Tanya walked up to Michael after their shows, exchanged phone numbers, and their relationship blossomed in and out of the recording studio.' Tanya told Billboard, "it's kind of like when we first started dating; I told him we have to jump off the building at the same time, holding hands. It's a question you have to ask before you make that decision -- ARE you ready to love me? Are you ready to go through all the things a relationship requires you to go through and still be there?" Michael expressed, "She did not know I was a wounded war veteran when we dated [...] I never talked about it. She was very confused -- Why is this guy running and ducking under the bed when he hears fireworks on the Fourth of July? Why do I find him hiding in a dark corner when the rest of the day he was so bubbly and happy? She was like, 'You've got to let me in Mike. You've got to tell me what's going on so I can make a decision if I want to roll with this.' And when she finally convinced me to let her into the dark side of me, I just gave her everything, told her everything I went through and, then, 'Are you ready to love me baby? Are we still good?'
In 2016, the duo released Love Affair as Trotter & Blount led by the single "Imagine". Jewly Hight of National Public Radio describes 'after teaming up in life and music, the pair dabbled in sleek soul updates under their combined surnames. But they also drew inspiration from voices embraced as touchstones across generations and genres — Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash and Nina Simone among them — and ultimately settled into a rootsy aesthetic animated by the range of their musical experiences.'