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STEVE WYNN Straight outta Ljubljana, baby. When Steve Wynn dropped in on his old pal Chris Eckman (Walkabouts) in Slovenia last year, he probably didn’t realize he’d return home to New York City with an ambitious, lush-with-strings solo album in his suitcase. Crossing Dragon Bridge is a striking departure from his work with the Miracle 3 (don’t worry, fans, Wynn’s band is still very much extant). Wynn and Eckman provide the bulk of the instrumentation—M3 drummer Linda Pitmon and a few other friends pitch in here and there—and frequently swap out Wynn’s trademark blazing electric guitars for strummy, textural acoustics. “Manhattan Fault Line” is a reflective examination of Wynn’s mid-’90s move from L.A. to NYC that erupts from a modest folk/rock arrangement into an expansive slice of orchestral-tilting sonic cinema, while the waltz-time, subtly Latin-flavored “When We Talk About Forever” is a romantic confessional destined one day to provide the soundtrack to an Italian café street scene. Upright bass, mellotron, vibes and programmed percussion lend a contemplative and, yes, European vibe to the proceedings as well; with the aforementioned string section and a backing choir on a number of tracks, the material comes alive in the richest, most cinematic sense. Long known for his abilities as a compelling storyteller, Wynn can now add another title to his CV: auteur. [Blue Rose, www.bluerose-records.de] —Fred Mills
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