The album was managed by American producer Byron Gallimore; its marketing focused on the group's crossover appeal to target a teenaged and young-adult audience.

3 of Hearts members Blaire Stroud, Katie McNeill, and Deserea Wasdin first performed together at a funeral, where they sang the hymn "He Leadeth Me".

[2] RCA executive vice-president Butch Waugh said the record company was immediately drawn to the group because of their wholesome image and work ethic.

[3] Steve Hochman of Los Angeles Times associated 3 of Hearts with a trend towards younger country performers, connecting them with singers Jessica Andrews, LeAnn Rimes, and Lila McCann, and the band Marshall Dyllon.

[15] He wrote that the album has a focus on a style of country music similar to that of American band the Dixie Chicks, with "pop touches" and "an occasional nod to Latin".

[14] Songs include "peppy-squared, nearly interchangeable midtempos" ("Love Is Enough," "It Happened to Me", "The Hard Way", and "Sugar and Daisies") and "note-bending, Boyz II Men-style ballads" ("6, 8, 12", "Wash Away This Kiss", and "Over the Edge").

[22][23] Jon Elliot, a senior director of marketing and artist development for RCA, said the promotional strategies for the album and the group focused primarily on "get[ting] their names out there and their faces visible".

[3] The group also participated in a marketing campaign with Gillette,[2] and discussions started with Warner TV on a potential television series based on their lives.

[3] They were also prominently featured on boxes of Kellogg's cereal; Chet Flippo of CMT described the promotion of 3 of Hearts as "a media blitz".

[26] Following the album's release, 3 of Hearts was let go from RCA due to low sales and a lack of connection with the core audience of country radio – the middle-aged woman.

In a 2002 interview, RCA chairman Joe Galante said he learned to "aim for your natural marketplace" from his experiences with 3 of Hearts and he felt marketing a country act for teenagers was not a wise business move.

[3] Deborah Evans Price of Billboard praised the single as conveying a "vibrant feel that evokes a sunny day with the windows down and the radio up", but found the lyrics and overall message to be cliché.

He responded negatively to the lack of attitude in the group's voices, which he dismissed as "girlishly giddy vocals and pop-ish country backing".

[18] Editor Tom Roland, writing for the American Bar Association, panned the album's content for its "bright, but shallow declarations of puppy love".