“Francesca [Belmonte] is a very old soul,” Tricky told us last year, referring to his most consistent vocal collaborator since Martina Topley-Bird. “To be 25 and try to sing blues music is kinda ridiculous; you kinda have to find your own way, but she’s managed to do that without any of it sounding like second-hand emotions. She’s a rare creature, the real deal.”
While Belmonte’s already flexed her smoke-filtered skills on such recent Tricky singles as “Does It” and “Nothing’s Changed,” the singer hasn’t had a chance to release a proper solo record yet. That’ll change with a long overdue LP on Tricky’s False Idols imprint sometime next year; in the meantime, here is our premiere of the sinister new track “Hiding In the Rushes,” along with the recently released album teaser “Stole” and a striking Bob Dylan cover that just dropped on Clash. London folks can also catch Belmonte’s intimate gig at The Garage this Wednesday, the first taste of the live show she’s been building towards while touring with the trip-hop icon over the past five years…
