I’ll just be straight to you from the beginning – I LOVE Jason Schwartzman. There’s just something about his hipster looks, his cool and laid-back demeanor, his witty cadence, those puppy dog eyes that make me adore him, in that whole ‘I just want to be your friend!’ sort of way.

So I was probably more invested than most in the idea of Schwartzman as a solo musician (obviously, he was the drummer of Phantom Planet who helped to create that unforgettable anthem of “California,” but what could we really divulge of his musical talent from that?) when he created Coconut Records and released the album, “Nighttiming,” last year. There was a secret fear in me that Schwartzman would become a Russell Crowe, or worse – a Jada Pinkett Smith – and fall into that wannabe-rockstar stereotype.

I was halfway rest assured upon hearing the first singles of the album, “Nighttiming” and “West Coast.” “Nighttiming” was a fun disco-esque track that was fittingly trendy at the time and had the perfect mix of being a little ridiculous but inescapably catchy. And then there was “West Coast,” the piano ballad that may have borrowed a bit too much from “California” but was still a great, endearing pop gem (and had an amazing video). These songs demonstrated Schwartzman’s acute ear for pop music, and his indelible ability to create irresistibly catchy songs. Sadly, the rest of “Nighttiming” just couldn’t follow, demonstrating how an artist can fail if he doesn’t quite have the lyrics or emotional material to push it further than a hook.

And so the story continues with Coconut Records’ latest album, “Davy”…and Schwartzman did it to me again. “Slow down/you are out of control,” he begins in his calming tone on “Microphone,” the first song off the album. It’s is a simple acoustic-based song with strong chords and a flowing, poignant chorus, and absolute proof that Schwartzman knows how to craft a pop song. My hopes were high; if he got the album off on the right foot, he might have a chance, I thought.

But then the next song came on. “Drummer,” an autobiographic song about Schwartzman’s role in Phantom Planet, is – in the simplest terms – a dumb song. Schwartzman bumbles through a background of trumpets to sing about how he “used to be in a band that you’ve heard of,” and instead of being tongue-in-cheek, he’s gone cheesy. It’s lyrics like these that have always stunted Schwartzman’s potential, and “Drummer” is a prime example. In a sense, it might even seem that this is Schwartzman’s intent all along; pop music should be simple and straightforward. But this ideal can only be taken so far…even Christina Aguilera knew how to put some allure into her songwriting before that latest “Keeps Gettin’ Better” disaster.

The rest of “Davy” continues on this way, with a hit-or-miss probability. Most of the time, if you can zone out the lyrics, it’ll leave a sunny, varied album to listen to. But the fact that Schwartzman has set up the musical parts of the songs so well, you can’t help but listen to those lyrics, in hopes of having something to sing along to, and you’re stuck singing lines like “You never had any fun, so I won’t come around” (“Any Fun”).

Admittedly, after about a week of having the album, I saw myself returning to it constantly. I put it on during the drive to work, and the chorus of “St. Jerome” was in my head all day today, and not in an annoying way. It’s an undeniable album in so many ways: on one hand, you can’t escape the catchiness, the sweetness or the beautiful structure of it all, and on the other hand, you also can’t forgive the boldly juvenile lyrics. I guess it’s a good thing Jason is so darn cute.

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Out on Young Baby Records, released on Jan. 20.