About
BIO
Texas artist Helene Cronin describes herself as a “story-singer”. She is driven by a desire to share her life through stories that are widely universal and deeply emotional. She pursues songwriting as her life’s work, sprouted during the days when she first borrowed her older brother’s guitar and taught herself a few chords.
For Helene, cultivating connection with her listeners is important especially in these divisive times. She recalls meeting a woman after a house concert, who told her through tears, “Listening to you and your songs makes me want to be a better person.” Helene reflects, “I can't think of a better reason to keep doing what I do. And to keep believing there's a higher purpose for me writing one more song that only a few people may ever hear. Sometimes my songs remind me that I need to do better too.”
A 2018 New Folk Winner at the Kerrville Folk Festival, Helene's style is a merger between the raw roots of Americana and the polished song-craft of Nashville's Country. Never setting out to be a "star", songwriting brought her to the stage. Audiences are drawn to her vulnerability and presence. Like other more well-known troubadours, she possesses a voice as much a character as the ones that inhabit her songs.
Helene recently released a full-length record, Maybe New Mexico, which showcases her writing with Nashville friends over the last few years. Her last album, aptly-titled Landmarks, was released Feb. 2023, followed in November by a surprise Christmas EP, Beautiful December. Her critically acclaimed 2019 full-length debut, Old Ghosts & Lost Causes, brought unanimous praise. The chorus of kudos seems to get louder with every release. She works with A-list producers and musicians, including Matt King, who helmed 2 records, Mitch Dane who produced the new project, and players like Kenny Vaughan, Byron House, Bobby Terry, Jerry Roe, Chris Powell, and Charlie Lowell.
Helene credits King, with instilling confidence and bringing out a voice she didn’t know she had. She credits Dane with nurturing and continuing the trajectory of the quality that she shoots for with any project she releases. The bar is high and she feels fortunate to work with such talent.
Traveling often to Nashville, Helene is well-connected in that song-writing community, writing for and with other artists. She's had songs recorded by Cody Johnson ("Over Missin' You" on his album: Leather-Deluxe Edition). She also has cuts with rising star Bryan Martin, including the title track of his record POETS AND OLD SOULS. Others who have recorded her songs include Country star Heidi Newfield, Janelle Arthur feat. The Isaacs, and more indie artists.
Helene hosts writer rounds at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe and performs in a variety of settings, from house concerts to festivals. Some highlights of her career so far include singing her song “Lucky Me” on the Mike Huckabee TV show and performing that special song for Medal of Honor events and countless military functions.
Radney Foster had this to say about Helene's record MAYBE NEW MEXICO: Helene knows how to craft a song. She just as importantly knows how to deliver one. There’s a world of emotions on this new record wrapped up in tasteful production. Smartly, it stays out of the way of her heartfelt vocals. Go get it.” -Radney Foster
Robert Christgau, noted rock critic said: Cronin is so unassuming in her electric-folk way that you may not notice the lyrical acuteness of an album where the second song goes: “Oh the one who’s more in love/Is at the mercy of/The one who doesn’t feel it as strong/And that’s how the power lines are drawn.” Or how about “I want to leave this place better than I found it/Take a breaks my heart and wrap my arms around it/I wanna put a little good out into the world/Shine a little light in the dark/I want to leave my maker’s mark”? You may think those sentiments are corny, but in part that’s because they’re true, and seldom have said truisms been put so acutely or originally. So if you’re still unimpressed maybe that’s because you’re an asshole. A MINUS
Robert K. Oermann of Music Row Magazine declared, "Our DisCovery Award goes to Helene Cronin, yet another example of how women are making some of our best music.”
John Apice wrote in Americana Highways, "Her vivid lyrical abilities are without question. She’s like Leonard Cohen - (She) writes with a good editing pen and produces tight, original tales, then adds an invigorating melody."
Jon Worley of Aiding & Abetting had this to say about the album Landmarks: “Helene Cronin…. has a sound that harkens back to… that folky, rock-inflected sound that hit its peak with Mary Chapin Carpenter. Cronin's songs, however, are somewhat immune from easy hooks, and they tend to twist instead of blossom into anthems. I love the sound of this album. Cronin's vocals, which have just enough rasp to remind listeners that an adult is singing, inhabit the music rather than float above, a fusion that makes these songs even more engrossing. Enthralling.”
In a review of Beautiful December, Alan Cackett writes, “As I played the disc for what I thought would be the one and only time, I was immediately immersed in the gorgeous arrangements with a dreamy quality that is quite irresistible. Helene is a thoughtful and sensitive storyteller, and her well-written lyrics just flow naturally. She elegantly folds her artistry into music. The result is a passionate, deeply eloquent, and musically rich celebration of the earth and mankind and the most enduring folk tale of all time.”
Cronin’s music is based on emotional honesty, experience and her own solid sense of self. “I was born on Long Island and spent my early years growing up there, eventually moving with the family to Texas. Completely different cultures!” she explains. “One of five children, I was the kid at the dinner table who rarely spoke up. I was a listener, a watcher, always ready to put out a fire, or keep the other shoe from dropping. We talk a lot now about kids growing up to be hyper-vigilant. Maybe if you’re gonna be a writer, that’s not a bad quality after all.”
For more information about Helene, try these links for store, performance schedule, music and other announcements. For booking, please use the CONTACT page!
Reviews
CRITICAL REVIEWS:
Robert Christgau “Consumer Guide” Review: March 2025
Helene Cronin: Maybe New Mexico (self-released) “A well-put-together middle-aged woman who’s won some local festival prizes, Cronin is so unassuming in her electric-folk way that you may not notice the lyrical acuteness of an album where the second song goes: “Oh the one who’s more in love/Is at the mercy of/The one who doesn’t feel it as strong/And that’s how the power lines are drawn.” Or how about “I want to leave this place better than I found it/Take a breaks my heart and wrap my arms around it/I wanna put a little good out into the world/Shine a little light in the dark/I want to leave my maker’s mark”? You may think those sentiments are corny, but in part that’s because they’re true, and seldom have said truisms been put so acutely or originally. So if you’re still unimpressed maybe that’s because you’re an asshole. A MINUS”
Music Row Magazine, DISClaimer column review
"Our DisCovery Award goes to Helene Cronin, yet another example of how women are making some of our best music." - Robert K. Oermann
Review of BEAUTIFUL DECEMBER, by Alan Cackett
“As I played the disc for what I thought would be the one and only time, I was immediately immersed in the gorgeous arrangements with a dreamy quality that is quite irresistible.”
Review of LANDMARKS record, Americana UK
"This is an exceptional sophomore effort, but its excellence isn’t surprising given Cronin’s experience. It is as if she waited until she had learned enough of life’s lessons before writing songs to share them. It was worth the wait."
Americana Highways Interview with Helene re: LANDMARKS
"Cronin, often collaborating with friends, spreads the net wide with Landmarks, taking us to surprising and illuminating places through narrative, whether overt or implied. I spoke with Helene Cronin about her path as a songwriter in recent years and how she feels that has contributed to this current batch of songs."
Review of LANDMARKS, Beehive Candy.com
“Landmarks is the follow-up to Helene's 2019 critically acclaimed debut Old Ghosts & Lost Causes. While it has a similar vulnerability, it's heavier in terms of feel, topics and production. It includes her signature ‘life wisdom’ songs. If the album feels more grown-up in content, it's because she's grown as an artist, stepping confidently into a role that requires her to be fearless about what she writes and sings about.”
Review of LANDMARKS, Making a Scene
"Listening to just a few tracks makes it rather easy to see why Cronin was a New Folk winner at the renowned Kerrville Folk Festival in 2018. On the debut, this writer’s first impression was that she possessed some of the darkness in her writing akin to Gretchen Peters. She remains heavy on this outing as well, spinning her…songs that run the gamut from provocative to evocative. Her use of metaphors and parallelisms is clearly her strength."
Review of LANDMARKS, Fervor Coulee
"Landmarks is an album, not simply a collection of singles to be streamed as background company. I encourage you to take Cronin’s invitation, and listen to the album in its entirety. Take time, have a coffee or two, and allow its power to be absorbed. Whether already a follower or coming to her magic for the first time, you won’t be disappointed."
Review of LANDMARKS, Lonesome Highway
"This is a mature album with a balance between the central voice, the playing, and the responsive production. This shows a solid growth since the debut album and that Cronin deserves to be viewed alongside some of her better know contemporaries as a contender."
Review of OLD GHOSTS & LOST CAUSES, Americana Highways
“As some already know, HC’s vivid lyrical abilities are without question. She’s like Leonard Cohen — writes with a good editing pen & produces tight, original tales then adds an invigorating melody.”
Review of OLD GHOSTS & LOST CAUSES, Elmore Magazine
“There’s some of Gretchen Peters’ darkness and incisive poetry in Helene Cronin’s terrific debut, and that alone should be more than enough for singer-songwriter fans to give Cronin their attention. Cronin is a wordsmith who pulls no punches. Some songs may make you uncomfortable but leave you marveling at her songwriting just the same.”
Review of OLD GHOSTS & LOST CAUSES, Midwest Record
“Holy moley, if this doesn't sound like a lost album from Roseanne Cash's dark period in the 90s, what does? From laboring in the background to winning at Kerrville last year, this folkie is more than ready for her run for the roses.Certainly a dark album, it's one of those ones that finds beauty in pain and leaves you changed when it gets done with you.”
OLD GHOSTS & LOST CAUSES, New Album Reviews - Lonesome Highway
"Helene Cronin, after a couple of EPs has released this full length album and with her songwriting and vocal talent has made it one to note. She and producer King can feel they have achieved something special here that is worthy of the talents of all involved."
Fervor Coulee- Roots Music Opinion
“Cronin is most obviously an experienced troubadour. Through the starkness of the recording environment, her natural warmth and personality is conveyed as acutely as if being heard in an intimate coffee shop or club. Once settled into the album, one begins to hear Cronin’s distinctive qualities—the way she draws out a syllable, an unhurried approach to rhythm and tempo, and a keen perspective that makes every image and lyric impacting. I love being introduced to a singer-songwriter not previously encountered. Helene Cronin’s Old Ghosts & Lost Causes is an incredible artistic statement. I can’t wait to hear more of her music.”
Review by "The Country Angel" Kelly's Country
"There are a lot of folks who claim to be songwriters. Some are awesome at their craft, while others can write lyrics but lack a soul. Helene Cronin has both (and then some), melding lyrics and heart into something magical."
Take Effect Review
"Cronin delivers the entire package here, an album that blends together seamlessly from one track to the next, as she explores her vast skill set with imaginative, soulful and unforgettable songwriting that any and all fans of Americana and folk music will enjoy every second of."
Audiophile Review
“Anytime I lose sight of the fact that I am doing a music review and become captivated with the songs themselves, it makes an impression. Each of the eleven tracks on [Old Ghosts & Lost Causes] certainly accomplished that. In fact, after my initial notes, I stopped taking them all together, preferring instead to simply sit and listen to a masterful example of how to tell a story.”
Roots Highway Review, Italy
"What immediately captures...is the peculiarity of her music to show us the stories she sings, thus managing to establish an intimate and direct dialogue with us. The tenderness, delicacy, but also the groove and energy that pervade the 11 tracks of the album reveal the inner world of the singer-songwriter making it accessible to us and allowing us to take part in it. Helene's delicate and enveloping voice cradles us, comforts us and gives us joy. A timbre that in the most intimate pieces reminds a little of Emmylou Harris, in other more aggressive ones it reminds Stevie Nicks instead."
QUOTES FROM OTHER ARTISTS:
Helene Cronin can flat out spin a lyric. Her ability to crawl within a subject and pull a story or emotion out the other end is what makes her a brilliant songwriter. Those writing chops delivered with those earthy vocals have made her one of the best artists I’ve heard in a long time. - Terri Hendrix, Performing Songwriter/Artist
I like songs that tell the truth. Helene Cronin's songs do just that. Helene delivers her songs with sheer soul. She invites you into her world and it's a great listen. - Lloyd Maines, Music Producer and Musician.
Helene is a master of words who writes and sings straight from the heart. Each song is a handcrafted mini-movie. - Zane Williams, Texas Artist
Old Ghosts and Lost Causes is easily one of my favorite records in a very long time! It moves me to my core, thanks to Helene's masterful storytelling, her honest vocals and tasty guitar voicings and grooves. She is a modern day Guy Clark possessing the power to transport your imagination - or your soul, from your everyday goings-on, to twists of emotions that will churn the very marrow in your bones. She is a beautiful poet, who, matched with Matt King's keen ear, together have made a stunning body of work here. Helene is as authentic as it gets...and if you're into that kind of music, well...you'd be a fool not to buy this record! - Heidi Newfield, recording artist and former lead singer of Trick Pony
LISTENER COMMENTS:
"If you love songs that you can't get out of your head not only because of the cool feel but the lyrics that make you think, you will love this new release by Helene Cronin!"
"The lyrics have such depth and relativity to the listener. She's a hidden treasure just waiting to be found. I love her messages within the songs."
"A refreshing and inspiring set of tunes. I guarantee after you preview the songs you will own the whole set. More, please Helene!"
"This CD made me laugh and cry numerous times! Helene is a talented and inspiring songwriter with such a unique ability to put emotions into the songs she writes."
"This CD will rest your restless heart. These songs tell stories that bring tears to your eyes and make you smile. Gifted songwriter, keep them coming!"
"Stunning song that's sung so well it hurts." (Re: Belong to the River)
"Helene has a way of reaching right into your heart and delicately pulling out a tear with her honest lyric and authentic vocal style. I dare you to leave a Helene Cronin show without something to think about and music you want to share with everyone you love."