“MYSELF TO BLAME provides a refreshingly raw take on the current Americana scene”

“There’s nobody in London closer to the true roots of country music than Simon Stanley Ward. He looks the part – complete with a straw cavalry hat and garish Garth Brooks shirt. He sounds the part, too. He has the affectations of the genre down to a tee. The plays of every professional country musician in the south of the United States must be written down in a book somewhere in Simon’s room. But most importantly, he has the soul and the wit. Simon Stanley Ward is a genuine article, fixed sharp and smart to take country music to the London masses.”

“Back in May, the talented Simon Stanley Ward put in a cracking performance at The Camden Store’s A Right Royal Knees-Up. Since then he has been busy beavering away to produce his first solo record, the six track CD Myself To Blame. We’ve had a listen and we have to say that it’s become a bit of a favourite of late. In an industry that is perpetually racing to find the next band of the moment or the newest musical genre, Stanley Ward is a welcome distraction. These days he is a country singer, pure and simple. Looking like he has stepped right out of a black and white western, he sounds like a proper lonesome cowboy crooner – a charming cross between Neil Young and Charlie Rich. Stand-out tracks for us include American Voice and Behind Closed Doors – you can listen to them here, and if you fancy it you can even nab yourself a copy over on iTunes.”

“Simon Stanley Ward is a young country and Americana singer from London. Unashamedly adorned in cowboy hat and shirt, he even has a song called American Voice which wittily pre-empts any criticisms about Englishmen singing in American accents, although the truth is, he doesnt lay it on too thick and is voice is wonderfully distinctive”

“The opening track of "Myself To Blame", "American Voice" probably tells you all you need to know about Simon Stanley Ward. Firstly that he's a singer/songwriter who really does understand irony and sarcasm and secondly he's a man with the talent to pull it off. The song is essentially about Europeans that sing with an American drawl, but done in such a way as to illicate sympathy rather than a novelty tag. The rest of the songs on this six track mini album are a bit more serious and delivered with a consumate performance and a real nod to our transatlantic cousins.”