Is This Really Happening? Ali Angel Asks

I’ve spent a very happy Christmas spinning Ali Angel’s debut album, which we might abbreviate to ITRH? to keep the word count down. It happened by coincidence that I was starting to write about Americana music last winter, just as Ali was beginning a year that led to this, her first full album. I already had her brilliant self-titled EP from 2022, and had worn out the single Stone Cold. What I did not expect, and took some time to get used to, was that Ali wanted to send me her unreleased stuff so that I could write about it properly. Considering that we never met, and we live two universes and two generations apart, this was a proper compliment. Here goes!

Is This Really Happening?

You get the sense that Ali is asking herself this question. A debut album! After all those years, those countless hours. The dream is coming true, isn’t it? This has quickly become one of my favourites on the album. It’s slower, with a prominent acoustic guitar, and it builds beautifully. The choice of the first track of your first album is always such an important choice. Perhaps it is too important? Is there a chance you will overthink it? Never mind: this is the perfect choice. A tender love song full of questions. If you want to know, it’s about that night when Ali decided to go to a club on her own and ran into the love of her life. There’s surely nothing more uplifting than that.

Disco

Disco represents what I’ve come to consider mainstream Ali Angel. A little faster, a little more upbeat. It chugs along from the first bar. It’s not complex, it’s just catchy as hell. Turn off the phone, be in the present. Don’t let anyone distract from a simple night at the disco. In some ways, the narrative is part two of ITRH? because it was at The Echo that she met Austyn. The photo below is outside The Echo, on Sunset near Echo Park. If you were wondering, as I was, the sign says Nayarit and was the name of a previous restaurant in the building.

Come On Through

We’re slowing down again, a more reflective mood. Time to cool down. Can the pain be washed away? We can try. It was at this point that I tried to set down what it is that I love so much about Ali’s music. It certainly goes beyond the music itself. She has such an open personality, works hard (I mean like really hard) and yet makes everything seem so effortless. I’m not surprised someone flew her halfway round the world for a wedding show after seeing her live. Even on a reel, her live shows just ooze quality. There’s a dryness, a crackle to her vocals, and plenty of space in the guitar. It’s just very chilled, welcoming and friendly music.

Lighter

I covered Lighter in depth on the day it was released. Read more below.

Lighter by Ali Angel

There’s a grungy, retro intro to the latest brilliant single, Lighter, from LA Angel: Ali Angel. I think she’s a little bit angry this week although the anger builds steadily from a gentle start. It seems like so much water has gone under the bridge since I first wrote about Ali back in cold April now that we’re in cold November. Her releases since then…

Tennessee VibesPaul Dettmann 🎶

Hold

The next two tracks are a little older and so I was more familiar with these. Hold is a duet with Tyler Ballgame, and it’s great to hear Ali in a duet with a male voice. This one has more of a groove, slightly bluesy.