Annual Waltz, released by MCA in 1987 and produced by Cowboy Jack Clement at his Nashville studio, is John Hartford's late-1980s record of original songs cast in the older country and folk styles he had been working in since Aereo-Plain — though with the warmer studio framing the Clement production brought. The album includes the title piece, Ohio River Rag, and Hartford's reflective Pennington Bend, framed by familiar Hartford touches: banjo, fiddle, his own loose narrative voice. The record earned a Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary Folk Recording category. Hartford dedicated the LP to his father, Dr. Carl G. Hartford. By this point Hartford's writing had settled into the steady, unhurried late-career voice that defined his last fifteen years of work.
Tracklist
- 1 All in My Love For You alt version 2:55
- 2 Ohio River rag 3:57
- 3 Annual waltz 3:52
- 4 Gone, gone, gone 1:54
- 5 Love wrote this song 2:43
- 6 Learning to smile all over again 3:26
- 7 Pennington band 3:45
- 8 Here's to your dreams 4:14
- 9 Short Life of Trouble alt version 1:36
- 10 Living in the Mississippi Valley 1:55
