“In My Time Of Constant Sorrow” should sound familiar to anyone who grew up on classic folk music. Kotler’s music embodies the political strife, bleeding hearts and more that feel like music that is from the people for people. Listening to the track, I felt like I was dropped straight into a 1960s coffeehouse, complete with a harmonica and a single microphone. It’s the official studio version of one of his earliest demos and first original songs, and it’s built on his belief that honesty trumps polish. The guitar strumming is simple but effective, the harmonica sighs in all the right places, and his vocals carry a tone of reflection that blends sorrow and hope.
Knowing who Kotler is helps explain that rawness. He’s a New Jersey‑born singer who left a career as a commercial litigator in 2024 to write songs full‑time. His songwriting draws directly from his own life, tackling loss, mistakes, starting over and the pressure of living through difficult times. He writes music “to survive,” and he isn’t trying to sell plastic. Growing up in Marlboro, New Jersey, he absorbed everything from Leadbelly and Bob Dylan to John Prine and Simon & Garfunkel, and the influence shows: a folk‑blues foundation with hints of rock and country, delivered with a straightforward voice. Apple Music lists his birthplace as Marlboro, NJ and his birthdate as Sept. 25, 1990, placing him squarely in the millennial songwriter cohort.
“In My Time Of Constant Sorrow” isn’t Kotler’s first release. His catalog includes the EP Waiting for Dawn(2024), a collection of five classic covers such as “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and “House of the Rising Sun”. He also recorded a set of mostly folk‑and‑blues originals called Love, And Other Misadventures; it was intended as his first studio EP but ended up released as singles. The tracklist features songs like “Insomnia,” “Fixin’ To Die” and “Spare Change,” as well as “Queen of a Small Town”. That latter song, which he wrote, played and produced himself about someone he knew long ago, shows a more narrative‑driven side of his writing. Singles such as “Loneliness Is Killing” and “Ballad of a Neglected Flower” (a demo released in 2024) showcase how he can pivot between bluesy lament and folk ballad.
What makes “In My Time Of Constant Sorrow” work is how it ties all of those threads together. The song is lo‑fi and unvarnished perhaps a little too distant, as if I’m in the back of the club but that imperfection reinforces the intimacy. The lyrics are poetic yet easy to understand, and Kotler does a good job of combining emotions like reflection, sorrow and hope. Hearing his earlier releases gives context: he’s an artist who cut his teeth on covers, then began releasing originals that wrestle with his past. This latest song feels like a distillation of those experiences, and it’s a reminder that the folk tradition still has room for voices who mean what they sing.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Ryan Edward Kotler writes songs drawn directly from his own lives. His work deals with loss, mistakes, starting over, and the pressure of living through difficult times. He writes in a straightforward way that focuses on honesty over polish—while still painting the sky with sly, consistent poetic devices as if they have always lived there.
His music moves freely between folk, blues, Americana, and country/bluegrass; but the rock ‘n’ roll blood coursing through the veins of his back catalog cannot be mistaken. You’ll find hints of Leadbelly in the same line as a watercolor impressionistic dream inspired by Bob Dylan or Townes Van Zandt; scents of the simple-spoken love songs of Hank Williams and Johnny Cash mixed with the cheery disposition of Elliott Smith; or a taste of the life lessons Kotler cherishes from John Prine or Simon & Garfunkel, followed by a vaudeville ditty to play him off with his 20$ gold piece and John B. Stetson hat.
Truthfully, he writes music to survive—and he left his job as a commercial litigator in 2024 to write full-time. He writes songs he wants to hear. He doesn’t plan on disappointing you. “Music means more to me than anything in this world, and I’m not selling plastic.” At its core, his music is about connection. Connection is the reason we are here.
