Okay, I’m willing to admit I’m a bit cynical. But something tells me there’s something Pete Schmidt isn’t telling me.

Before I get into my paranoia, let me describe what’s on this album. I won’t bother to get into too much detail about the songs. They’re all basically smooth, poppy rock tunes that emphasize Schmidt’s well-practiced mid-range vocals. It’s a completely transparent effort to create something radio-friendly, a little bit clever and quite vapid. I’d call it Third Eye Blind meets John Mayer. I mean, it’s cute. This is the kind of music that, if it had the backing of a major label, could be crow-barred onto the “new artist” slot of the average pop radio play list. Some of this stuff would sound fine coming over the speaker system at your local Structure or Abercrombie & Fitch. It’s just snappy enough to shop to. It’s also that inoffensive.

But here’s the catch: This isn't a major-label release. I mean, I’m used to listening to major-label babies sounding catchy and inoffensive. But independents? I thought being independent was all about sounding rough around the edges. What gives?

In fact, I’ve listened to Schmidt’s album a few times now and I can’t fully believe this is just some independent musician toiling away in his basement and playing weekend gigs at the local brewpubs. It’s too slick. It’s too lavish. Recorded at Tree Sound Studios, near Atlanta, under the direction of a producer named Dan Hannon, the tracks on this compact disc sound totally radio-ready. I keep looking for a tiny Warner Brothers label in the corner of the CD booklet, which is several pages long and printed on heavy-stock paper. Hell, this CD booklet is nicer than the one that comes with most major-label releases. It just doesn’t add up.

I mean, where the heck did the money to pay for studio time and the slick production and the CD booklet come from? And who is the “we” that Pete Schmidt’s website keeps referring to? (As in "we've created a new Mailing List system" or "Check out our documentary!")

Could the “we” be Pete and Jesus? Is this Christian rock? I mean, with songs titled “On Sunday,” “Dreams” and “Angel,” one couldn’t be blamed for believing this was funded by some well-intended religion that’s trying to appeal to the next generation. Or did Pete get a huge loan from the Bank of Dad? Or is some major label out there quietly funding him from the background.

Ah, I should cut the guy a break. He writes and sings just like they do on pop radio. He was probably sitting on a pile of money from website sales of his EP. The kids will love it.