Biography
Self-termed alternative blues singer Francesca Belmonte might equally fall under the hip-hop blues heading, a label first attached to close collaborator Tricky on his 1993 single “Aftermath.” Also a songwriter, she surfaced as Franky Riley on Tricky’s 2010 album Mixed Race, lending her breathy, seemingly half-awake vocals to the singles “Murder Weapon” and “Ghetto Stars.” Under her own name she assumed a larger presence on his 2013 album False Idols, appearing on two-thirds of its tracks. Soon after contributing to yet another Tricky release, 2014’s Adrian Thaws, she issued her debut solo single “Stole,” an effort that aligned more closely with one of her touchstones, Patti Smith—whose rendition of “Gloria” Belmonte had already referenced on Tricky’s “Somebody’s Sins.” The single appeared on Tricky’s False Idols imprint, which also put out her 2015 output: the three-song EP Are You and the album Anima.
Albums
Singles
