[1] The deluxe fan edition of Love on the Inside was released on July 22, 2008, which included 17 tracks in special packaging with an expanded CD booklet and access to download exclusive music video and behind the scenes footage.

The former, which features guest vocals from Little Big Town and Jake Owen, had charted earlier in 2008 (before the release of "All I Want to Do") based on unsolicited airplay that brought the live recording to No.

Love on the Inside has a score of 83 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "universal acclaim" from many critics,[5] with many reviews focusing on the song selection and Nettles' vocal performance, as well as the production of Byron Gallimore, who also produced the duo's 2006 album Enjoy the Ride.

Of the song choices, he said, "While this set is saturated with hunger and ambition, it's also confident and sophisticated — the album sounds as if they meant every word but had a great time making it."

[6] Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly gave it an A− rating, saying that the album's ballads recalled Mary Chapin Carpenter and Rodney Crowell, while other tracks such as "All I Want to Do" were "goofy, arena-ready crowd-pleasers".

[8] Billboard critic Ken Tucker also gave a positive review, saying that Gallimore's production was "finely crafted" and that "All I Want to Do" was a "tantalizing tease" of the album's breadth.

[16] Chuck Eddy of Blender magazine gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that the album recalled 1980s rock bands such as The Bangles, and that by doing so, it kept "their more tepid tendencies in check.

He considered the album's melodies, themes and instrumentations to be largely homogeneous, and criticized the ballads for containing underdeveloped choruses, but cited "Steve Earle" and "Very Last Country Song" as standout tracks.