Ashley Monical - Facing The Shadow (2015)

That’s the question Ashley Monical poses in the haunting “Stage Fright,” one of the most unabashedly personal songs featured on her debut album, Facing The Shadow. It’s the kind of moment of truth that can make or break a relationship between two people, but the “you” Monical happens to be questioning is none other than her own self. “Be true,” she continues, “that’s all I ask of you.” Her voice is vulnerable, pleading, but the challenge lands like a gauntlet.