AUGUST RED is a late Seventies / early Eighties Westcoast-AOR inspired project created by Tom Nixon, brother of John Nixon of the critically acclaimed band of th same genre PAGE 99. Alongside John contributing songwriting and playing, both are surrounded by exquisite session musicians.
Their debut CD “Sunshine Melodies” makes justice to its title, with elements of TOTO, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, State Cows and of course, Page 99, this music not only takes you back to Summer, but also 1981.
The music is written by Tom (except for the cover of Bill LaBounty’s classic ‘This Night Won’t Last Forever’) and arranged & produced by John Nixon of Page 99, so expect the same crystal clear sound.
It’s fascinating what mysterious paths music can take to affect our senses. This can include how we perceive music, but also how a composer suddenly receives a melody as a gift from the subconscious. This was the case with what became August Red and the opening track “Faded Memory Song”. Story tells how the melody came to Tom Nixon in his sleep during a dream.
In his dream, Tom walks the beach on a sunny day accompanied by a melody that he hears inside. When he wakes up, he records the melody as a “voicememo”. After completing the entire song with lyrics and music, a raw demo was recorded which is sent to brother John with the idea it could be a potential song for the upcoming PAGE99 album.
John agreed to arrange the song and record it. He also convinced Tom that he should use it himself for his own musical project.
The idea was that “Sunshine Melodies” should have been released in 2020, but a worldwide pandemic happened to come in between.
The album opener, “Faded Memory Song” describes the effects we all experienced when the pandemic took over our lives. How we were suddenly separated from everything we knew and could do and everyone we loved. But …. the message of the song is how we all can work to take back all our life-affirming moments and look ahead.
Musically, “Sunshine Melodies” is such a pleasant album. I would love to hear a full length album with this eminent songwriting quality. For me as a hopelessly devoted lover of Westcoast/AOR, “Sunshine Melodies” contains all the qualitative components I love to hear. The songs are like a pleasant summer breeze that caresses one’s musical soul.
As I did above, one could draw similarities with other albums, artists and bands recorded during the classical era of Westcoast music in the late 70’s and early 80’s, but that’s not needed. This is Tom Nixon and his project August Red. This album does absolutely superb on its own.
Tracklist:
1. Faded Memory Song (3:38)
2. Sunshine Melody (4:07)
3. Never-Ending Story (5:10)
4. This Night Won't Last Forever (4:22)
5. Sunshine Melody (Isla Del Sol Edit) (4:07)
August Red – Sunshine Melodies – 2021, Japan Edition, FLAC+MP3, CD w/Scans
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