PG Naylor is a lover of ‘60s music. So much so, in fact, he’s creating ‘60s-styled music currently in 2022. Although he spent a good deal of his life working in the corporate world, this Australian singer/songwriter has been performing with rock bands since – you guessed it – the ‘60s. These two fine songs are quite different, but each express Naylor’s love of memorable, melodic music with a ‘60s vibe.
“Better Left Unsaid” and “Sensible” are actually older songs, ones Naylor penned twenty years ago. One, “Better Left Unsaid,” is an upbeat, gentle rocker, whereas “Sensible” is more of a sensitive ballad.
Listen to "Better Left Unsaid" here:
“Some words are better left in limbo,” Naylor reminds us during “Better Left Unsaid.” This is another way of saying, ‘Keep it to yourself.’ It takes place at a train station, where Naylor sees a woman where he’s tempted to strike up a conversation. However, wisdom gets the better of him, and he refrains. This happens to all of us at times, though. When we see somebody, we may want to speak with, we also weight the consequences. How will they respond? Will they want to talk with me as much as I want to speak with them? How do we start the conversation, and what will we talk about once we begin to converse? Yes, we do strike up conversations with people we see – sometimes, even strangers – but there are other times where we just don’t think it’s the right moment to chat.
“Better Left Unsaid” sounds a little like a Traveling Wilburys song sung by Tom Petty. It has a chugging groove that sways more than it rocks. Granted, it’s not as silly and/or grumpy as many of those memorable Wilburys songs. Nevertheless, it’s easy to imagine those guys singing this one
Listen to "Sensible" here:
“Sensible,” which is a piano-driven track, is similar to Supertramp’s “Logical Song.” It’s not as emotional as that one, but it does also find Naylor looking around and – perhaps – wishing folks would lighten up just a bit. Naylor says it was written about his “frustration with people who procrastinate instead of ‘just doing it.’” He complains about people being “so responsible.” It’s as though we’re afraid to take chances. To be spontaneous. Naylor sings it with touch of a quiver in his voice. This one is the more passionate of the two songs. In addition to a grand piano part driving it, the track also includes some tasty electric guitar fills.
It's not unusual to hear ‘60s inspired songs from Australia. After all, that region also gave us Crowded House and Men At Work, which sometimes drew upon ‘60s influences for their songs. This Naylor music sounds especially good within the context of contemporary music, which too often lacks melody and sweet, heartfelt lyrics like these.
We can all be thankful PG Naylor left the corporate world in order to concentrate fulltime on creating music. These two songs reveal his fine musical instincts and skills, as well as a knack for writing meaningful, relatable lyrics. In this case, it was better he said what was on his mind, rather than leaving his thoughts unsaid.
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-Dan MacIntosh