Mark Ambor Thinks Olivia Dean Is Pretty Perfect, Too

Mark Ambor is on the come up. Since dropping his album Rockwood last year, the New York-based singer’s made a name for himself with a spot on the Billboard Hot 100; more than 25 global platinum certifications, according to a press release; and that unforgettable raspy voice. 

“Closer to Me,” the first single from Ambor’s upcoming album, is out Nov. 7, and judging by its head-banging tempo, the singer-songwriter seems to be experimenting with his signature folkie pop sound. Ahead, Ambor tells ShelfMAG about the magic of Billy Joel and how he’s taking cues from Olivia Dean and Rod Stewart.

"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" by Billy Joel

“I've been listening to a lot of Billy Joel and music from that era because his songwriting is really inspiring. The way he weaves in such specific characters and builds a world around him vividly is so cool, and I am striving for that in this next thing I'm making. ‘It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me’ really sticks out. Sometimes when lyrics are too specific, I find myself getting detached, but there's something about it that pulls you in. The lyrics are very specific in an interesting way where you're not turned off.”

“So Easy (To Fall in Love)” by Olivia Dean

“I've known about Olivia Dean — I've seen ‘Dive’ and ‘The Hardest Part.’ But I dove deep when The Art of Loving came out. I listened top to bottom, and there's just an effortlessness about ‘So Easy (To Fall in Love)’ that is so inviting. I think it's her vocal delivery. Everything's perfect. The production's perfect, everything just feels right. 

I've been inspired by her visuals and creative direction around the album, but also the songs and how, from my understanding, she's consistently putting out things that are authentic to her. And slowly, she's found success doing that.”

And The Writer Is…with Ross Golan

“I've always been someone who loves hearing how people have found their success. I feel like I've learned a lot about music-industry stuff and also songwriting sessions through [the podcast]. You get this overall life story to where [the guest artists] are right now. You hear about their struggle, and then you hear about their big success, and you hear about their lull, and then you hear about their headspace. I feel like it gives you a more complete picture of success.”

“Bless the Telephone” by Labi Siffre

“So 'I’ve Seen It’ by Olivia Dean... I really liked that song. I sent it to my brother and he was like, ‘Oh, this reminds me of this song.’ And he sent me ‘Bless the Telephone’ back, which is an older song. It's very minimal and acoustic, but the chords feel similar. It's a great when-you-wake-up kind of song to ease you into your day. It's so simple and easy to listen to.”

“Maggie May” by Rod Stewart

“I'm inspired by basically one thing about this song: the structure. It starts off very instrumental, where you've kind of have no idea what's happening. It just feels good. Then it kicks into the song, then it goes into this other instrumental part that's really catchy, and then it goes back into the song. That defines, I feel, a lot of music from that era that I'm also inspired by and pulling from [on my upcoming album]. It's just ‘We're going to make stuff that feels good, and we're going to see what happens,’ which I love.”

“Charlie’s Garden” by djo

“That's another one I randomly found recently. Obviously I've seen him a lot because of 'End of Beginning.’ I recently tried to dive in on his album and there are a bunch of cool songs that feel are not necessarily conventional, but good, exciting to listen to, and interesting. Clearly I'm in this phase of finding inspiration in things like that.”

Curious about what else Mark Ambor is into? Get real-time updates at shelf.im/markambor.