Songwriting, journalism relate for HLN's Robin Meade

• The HLN morning show anchor wrote seven of the 12 songs on the album
• Music and TV reporting may be different%2C but Meade considers both a form of journalism
• Her new %27Count On Me%27 is out June 11

In addition to giving viewers news and information, Robin Meade likes to use her platform as HLN's morning show anchor to provide what she calls "mood enhancement."

She hopes her new country album will do the same.

Count On Me, Meade's second album, is slated for a June 11 release exclusively at Target stores and on iTunes. The Morning Express With Robin Meade host told USA TODAY she tried to put together a "rootsy" album that was "a musical reflection of what I'm known for."

That includes her perky, bright personality aimed at viewers who are preparing for the workday. The songs on Count On Me don't all have the same message, but they also don't say, "I'm no good and you can't trust me," Meade says.

Meade wrote seven of the 12 songs on the album, which also has four covers. Those include "countrified" versions of Cyndi Lauper's True Colors, Tom Petty's I Won't Back Down and The Pretenders' I'll Stand By You.

Guest appearances include Lee Brice, Kenny Loggins' Blue Sky Riders and blues artist Keb' Mo', all recorded under the guidance of producer Victoria Shaw (who co-produced Lady Antebellum's debut album).

Though being a TV anchor and a country singer might seem worlds apart, Meade, 44, says they're bound by a common thread: journalism.

"I look at it as I'm writing about people and their experiences and my own experiences in a way I can convey to somebody else," she says. "You're writing about loves and wins and losses, just like you are for a news story — but I'm doing it in a different form, a form that's about 3 minutes, 30 seconds long and set to a melody and can move you emotionally."

Because she's a TV journalist, Meade can't actually have a relationship with Target; she might have to report on them, which would be a conflict of interest. Instead, she records the songs and licenses the album to Mood Entertainment, which has end-aisle listening stations at many Target stores (its other artists include Jim Brickman and Jewel).

Meade followed a similar path with her first album, 2011's Brand New Day. Back then, she excitedly sent a copy to Kenny Chesney with a note attached that said, "No using this as a drink coaster."

So what did Chesney do?

"He texted me back a picture of his drink on my CD," she says with a laugh.