“Handal is a devilishly witty songwriter whose guitar is as blue and gutsy as her lyrics”
~ Vintage Guitar Magazine

“A triumph… soulful singing, great musicianship, joyful songwriting – all connected and beautifully realized.”
~ American Songwriter Magazine

“Ali Handal’s reputation centers around her big riffs, burning yet melodic solos, and huge voice.”
~ Guitar Player Magazine

BIO

Ali Handal is a Los Angeles–based lead guitarist and singer-songwriter who blends 70s-rooted blues rock and funk grit with sharp, character-driven storytelling. Her performances lean on real musicianship first—riff-forward guitar work, a voice that can cut and soothe, and songs that carry a point of view without preaching.

Her track record is already international and cross-platform: Ali has charted on Billboard, toured Australia and Japan, recorded vocals for a Neil Young album, and served as featured vocalist for legendary songwriter Paul Williams. Her songs have landed in films and hit TV shows, and publisher Hal Leonard tapped her to write Guitar for Girls—a guitar method book + audio pairing inspiring lessons with songs by female songwriters across genres. 

Ali’s fifth album, Slow Burn, is completed, mixed, and mastered—a groove-oriented, guitar-forward blues-rock record with empowering songs and incisive lyrics. Co-produced with 4X Grammy-winning engineer Seth Atkins Horan and mixed by 5X Grammy-winning producer/engineer Ross Hogarth, the record is built around riff-driven arrangements and a vocal that can lean raw or refined. An early mix of Shut Your Mouth and Do Something was selected for the Spotify editorial playlists “Nu-Blues,” “Women of the Blues,” and “Equal Blues,” and also appeared on Joe Bonamassa’s “Cutting Edge Blues” playlist.

The ballad Perennial features violinist Scarlet Rivera—known for her work with Bob Dylan during the Rolling Thunder Revue era—adding a cinematic counterpoint to the album’s groove-driven sound.

The High Road links the album to a broader audience—it began with a story Marc Maron told on his podcast; Ali built the song from that spark and invited Maron to play on the recording. The result is a hook-driven track with a dueling-guitar solo centerpiece—and Maron appears performing his part in the official music video.

If you only have time for a few listens, start with the three focus tracks below. And if you’d like to hear more, you can keep scrolling thru all 11 songs on the record.

*Take Down
*Shut Your Mouth and Do Something
*Slow Burn