Everybody deserves a fresh start now and then, and after alternately wrestling with and adding to the New Order legacy for more than 25 years, singer/guitarist Bernard Sumner and drummer Stephen Morris finally get a clean break. Joined by recent New Order recruit Phil Cunningham, guitarist/singer Jake Evans and in-studio bassist Alex James of Blur, Bad Lieutenant gets out of the gate as the latest successor to the Joy Division bloodline. And a fresh start it is.

Strictly speaking, it's only a slightly bigger change than Sumner and company taught us to expect with each successive New Order album. Sumner's still at the head of the band, still lending his voice to the songs and still using his former band's understated sense of melody to drive things along. This time, though, there's a sense of spontaneity, an ever-so-slight break from the strictly regimented performances that were New Order's calling card. Despite the overlap in personnel, Bad Lieutenant isn't just New Order 2.0 or a franchise reboot. It's a whole different animal.

With that newfound sense of spontaneity comes the sense that Sumner's having more fun than he's had for years making his music. "This Is Home" mixes a bit of jangly, bedsit pop guitars with the big low end and commanding production of a more polished style; Evans and Sumner trade off vocals in the track, giving it a personality that New Order didn't have. "Whine Like the Sun" goes straight into breezy pop, with loose guitar figures having more Californian sun than Manchester gloom, while "Twist of Fate" and "Poisonous Intent" settle nicely into modern guitar-pop rock that boldly leaves New Order in the past.

Sumner deserves a fresh page to continue on, and he's found a perfect new direction with Never Cry Another Tear. He's put his past -- which, if the public outbursts from New Order bassist Peter Hook are any measure, was quite a troubled one -- to rest. It's time to move forward. It's time for Bad Lieutenant.