Ali Handal Is Fearless With New Album
That’s
What She Said
Out on 9/8 on Red
Parlor Records
If you like
Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, and Kasey Musgraves, you will love Ali Handal.
Her sass and
up-front attitude is refreshing, insightful and beautiful. Her guitar prowess
is playful and technically flawless.
The phrase That’s What She
Said, has been used in our culture for a while but not really put into
a musical connotation like this. Ali takes her natural ability to converse and
connect while being poetic and authentic.
Songs cover the gamut of love,
life, cats and surviving cancer… with a sly-grin on her face, she makes the
listener fidget in their seat. She plays off her guitar licks; her rhythms are
like a pair of black boots with spurs. While cancer isn’t a laughable situation
to be in, sometimes laughter is the best medicine.
Moved early on by wise and
resilient women, singer/songwriter Ali
Handal wore out Carole King’s Tapestry album. As a
cat-obsessed six-year-old (some things never change), Ali honored her initial
musical heroine by naming her very first kitten “Carole.” Over the years,
the sweet melodies and lyrics penned by musical sages King, Dylan, Lennon, and
McCartney captivated her. She had an epiphany when, as a teenager, she heard
Led Zeppelin for the first time. Completely mesmerized by Jimmy Page’s
seductive guitar riffs, Ali quit her piano lessons to pick up the guitar.
Now based in Los Angeles, Ali
unleashes sultry, groove-filled songs upon live audiences, setting the
stage ablaze with fiery guitar passages and soulful lyrics delivered by her
powerhouse voice. She holds her own among the ranks of fierce female
performing songwriters like Ani DiFranco and formidable guitarists such as
Jimmy Page.
Music Connection magazine described her as “earthy, natural, real and
loaded with talent…a singer/songwriter with something to say… a gifted artist
who brings insight and intelligence to her art.” When asked about her music and
stage presence, fans simply say “badass.”
Ali’s songs have been featured
in numerous films and hit shows like Sex and the City, Dawson’s
Creek and iCarly. She’s toured Australia, Japan and
beyond, provided backing vocals for Neil Young, and shared the stage with
songwriting legend Paul Williams as his featured vocalist. Also a
published author, Ali penned Guitar for Girls (Hal Leonard),
an exceptional guitar method book & CD brimming with advice for aspiring
female musicians, as well as encouraging quotes and remarkable songs from
female songwriters in all genres.
