Francis released his debut solo album, "So They Say", in 2001 on his Scrapper Records label. The album's songs, which were generally recorded in one take, mostly relate to his family and past girlfriends. The writing was also inspired by his experience at National University of Ireland, Galway, where he studied literature abroad for six months. Francis' next album, "Untold", was released in 2003 by Hollywood Records. In a review of the album, Christopher Byrd of "The Washington Post" wrote: "From the happy-hour lasciviousness of 'One Train' to the Hendrix-inspired 'Coal Miner' to the folksy tenderness of the Sept. 11-inspired 'Beneath the Fire,' Francis shows impressive musical range. Still, while it's possible to applaud him for his disregard of contemporary musical trends, it's hard not to feel that his toned-down Black Crowes approach to music corsets him a bit too much in VH1-friendly nostalgia."