Vintage Guitar Magazine
Handal is a devilishly witty songwriter whose guitar is as blue and gutsy as her lyrics.
American Songwriter magazine
A triumph… soulful singing, great musicianship, joyful songwriting – all connected & beautifully realized.
Guitar Player Magazine
Ali Handal’s reputation centers around her big riffs, burning yet melodic solos, and huge voice.
BIO:
Ali Handal is a Los Angeles–based guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose music fuses 70s-rooted blues rock, funk grit, and sharp, character-driven songwriting. Known for riff-forward guitar work, a voice that can cut and soothe, and songs with wit, bite, and emotional weight, she brings a clear artistic point of view without sacrificing hooks or musicianship.
Her track record already includes a Billboard-charting release, touring in Australia and Japan, vocal work on a Neil Young album, and a featured vocalist role with legendary songwriter Paul Williams. Her songs have appeared in films and hit TV shows, and Hal Leonard selected her to write Guitar for Girls, a guitar method book and audio program built around songs by female songwriters across genres.
Her fifth album, Slow Burn, is a groove-driven, guitar-forward blues-rock record built for listeners who still respond to riffs, feel, and strong songs. Co-produced with four-time Grammy-winning engineer Seth Atkins Horan and mixed by five-time Grammy-winning producer/engineer Ross Hogarth, the album pairs muscular guitar work with memorable hooks, lyrical intelligence, and a strong sense of identity. An early mix of “Shut Your Mouth and Do Something” was selected for Spotify’s Nu-Blues, Women of the Blues, and Equal Blues editorial playlists, and also featured on Joe Bonamassa’s Cutting Edge Blues playlist.
The album also carries a few standout calling cards. The ballad “Perennial” features violinist Scarlet Rivera, known for her work with Bob Dylan during the Rolling Thunder Revue era, bringing a cinematic edge to the record’s groove-driven core. “The High Road” began with a story Marc Maron told on his podcast; Handal built the song from that spark and invited Maron to play on the track, resulting in a hook-driven recording with a dueling-guitar centerpiece. The project also includes a completed official music video for “The High Road” featuring Maron, as well as hours of behind-the-scenes studio footage, including additional footage with Maron, giving the release a strong bank of visual assets.
If you only have time for a few songs, start with the three focus tracks below: Take Down, Shut Your Mouth and Do Something, and Slow Burn. The full album follows underneath.