With yet another tumultuous turn in the relationship between New Order's lead singer Bernard Sumner and their integral bass player Peter Hook, New Order are once again no more leaving Bernard Sumner in a place where he is actually familiar. In the early 90's when New Order were showing the signs of personal relationships cracking the first go round, Sumner got together with The Smiths' Johnny Marr to craft the band Electronic. This time around, Sumner has formed a new band titled Bad Lieutenant with later era New Order guitarist/keyboardist Phil Cunningham, newcomer Jake Evans (who sounds like a cross between Doves' Jimi Goodwin and the late Michael Hutchence) and on a few tracks, original New Order drummer Stephen Morris and oddly enough, bassist Alex James from Blur.

For those of you thinking that this just feels like window dressing on a Bernard Sumner solo album then you're getting the same feeling I'm getting. With Electronic, Sumner had a partner in a band, whereas this band feels like nothing more than yes men to all the ideas that Hook was probably shaking his head no to. Not that Bad Lieutenant is any radical departure for Sumner because it's definitely not. The sound of Never Cry Another Tear is somewhere between Electronic's second album, 1996's Raise the Pressure and New Order's last album, 2005's Waiting For the Siren's Call. Vocally, Sumner is in fine form like he always is (though don't ever bother seeing him live, he's one of the worst pure vocalists ever. His voice has and forever will be studio trickery) and the lyrics are much, much better than anything off of New Order's woeful Siren's Call. But you can't help but feel there is a massive hole where Hook's bass lines would fit perfectly throughout, even though Alex James and company try desperately (and commendably) to fill the void.

Openers "Sink or Swim" and "Twist of Fate" are affable, but they don't quite live up to the best of the best late era Sumner material such as anything off of Electronic's 1999 gem Twisted Tenderness or New Order's 2001 album Get Ready. While Bad Lieutenant does wonders in repairing listeners' relationship with Sumner after Siren's Call, you still can't help but be greedy and want more from Never Cry Another Tear. I can tell you this though, it'll be better than whatever new solo project Peter Hook comes up with in the near future; because just like death and taxes, his solo projects are always sure to suck.