“We moved to Nashville,” Tanya Trotter told the audience in their recent appearance at The Barns at Wolf Trap, to play “the country gospel.” Tanya and her husband, Michael, make up the Grammy-nominated duo The War and Treaty. They recently appeared for the first of two nights at the venue, and it was a meaty set that rocked harder than you might think for music that meets the description of country gospel.

As AllMusic describes, the duo makes “impassioned soul music that draws on country, R&B, traditional folk, and spirituals, often combining them all.” As Michael put it, he wrote “Carried Away” to “smash together D’Angelo and Hank Williams.” They’ve recorded (“Hey Driver,” for which they were joined by opening act Thunderstorm Artis) and shared stages with country phenomenon Zach Bryan and the late John Prine, and appeared at AmericanaFest. “Love Like Whiskey,” which Michael said is “a true story,” was cowritten with Miranda Lambert.