However, Loveless noted that "I Did" was highly popular among fans and concertgoers despite its low chart showing and successfully convinced label executives to allow the release of a full album.

[2] A review written by Thom Jurek of AllMusic praised these two covers in particular, also stating that her "integrity, down-home sincerity, and utterly stunning voice have helped to create a streak of fine recordings and chart success".

[16] Jack Hurst of the Chicago Tribune was mixed toward the album, praising Loveless's voice, but criticizing the production as being more country pop in nature.

"[26] Hurst wrote that "Loveless's world-class vocal power has seemed for three albums to be searching for material that could engage her soul, and she appears to have found it in this collection".

[2] Its lead single was the top-five song, "Hurt Me Bad (In a Real Good Way)", co-written by (and featuring backing vocals from) Deborah Allen.

[30] The editors of Country Music: The Encyclopedia attributed the commercial failure of Up Against My Heart to the increased success of other women on the MCA label such as Wynonna Judd and Trisha Yearwood.

[2] Also in 1993, she was one of many featured vocalists on George Jones's "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair", which won the Country Music Association's Vocal Event of the Year for everyone involved.

[35] Actor Burton Collins came up with the concept of "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye" after his grandmother's death in 1988, but did not finish the song until much later when he met co-writer Karen Taylor-Good.

[34] The album had not originally been considered for nomination in this category, but the Country Music Association added it after disqualifying Alison Krauss's Now That I've Found You: A Collection.

[22] Bob Cannon of Entertainment Weekly thought that Loveless displayed a wider emotional range on the album than other contemporary female country artists, contrasting her vocal delivery on "Halfway Down" and "You Don't Even Know Who I Am".

[39] Co-writers on the album included Kostas, Kim Richey, Jim Lauderdale, and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member Jeff Hanna.

[49] Carole L. Phillips of The Cincinnati Post rated the album "A", noting influences of both bluegrass and rock music on "High on Love", while comparing her delivery to Loretta Lynn and Roy Orbison on other tracks.

[52][2] Loveless and Gill had worked together on a number of occasions prior to this song; notably, she sang backing vocals on his singles "When I Call Your Name",[53] "Pocket Full of Gold",[54] and "Go Rest High on That Mountain".

[1] Alanna Nash shared a similar opinion in a review for Entertainment Weekly, although she praised the track "My Heart Will Never Pass This Way Again" for the inclusion of fiddle music.

[60] Country Standard Time reviewer Eli Messinger was more mixed toward the project, considering it inferior to Long Stretch of Lonesome while noting the inclusion of Jimmy Hall and Travis Tritt on various tracks.

[62] The album included guest vocals from Earl Scruggs and Ricky Skaggs, along with covers of songs originally recorded by Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, and Darrell Scott.

[39] The tracks "The Boys Are Back in Town" and "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive" both received Song of the Year nominations at the 2002 International Bluegrass Music Awards.

[1] Loveless later said that she and Emory Gordy wanted to mix the "traditional" bluegrass feel of Mountain Soul with more contemporary instruments such as drums and electric guitar.

[72] Brian Wahlert of Country Standard Time said of this album that Loveless and Gordy "have a knack for finding songs that express the joy and pain of everyday life in a way that anyone can relate to."

[73] Jack Bernhardt of The News and Observer considered the album her strongest release, noting the "storytelling intrigue" of the songs, while comparing Loveless's vocals favorably to those of Patsy Cline.

[76] Gordy produced and played bass on the album, with other contributors including pianist Hargus "Pig" Robbins, guitarist Al Perkins, and drummer Harry Stinson.

[78] Jurek wrote of this album, "Loveless treats these songs without even a trace of nostalgia, but as the living embodiment of stories that not only transfer emotion, but reveal the hidden truths of love, life, sadness, grief, and wisdom gained by experience.

[81] Loveless chose to include Christian material on the project as she had previously sung "Amazing Grace" with Ralph Stanley and Emmylou Harris while on tour with them.

[83] The same year, she joined with Danica Patrick, Caitlyn Jenner, and Michael Strahan in a program started by NASCAR titled Drive, which was done to raise awareness of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

[88] The editors of Country Music: The Encyclopedia describe Loveless as having a "straight-from-the-heart, strong yet vulnerable vocal style", which they compared favorably to Loretta Lynn and Kitty Wells.

"[19] Steve Huey of Allmusic wrote that she "rose to stardom thanks to her blend of honky-tonk and country rock, not to mention a plaintive, emotional ballad style...but most critics agreed that she truly came into her own as an artist when she moved to Epic in the early '90s.

She also wrote that "[l]ike neo-traditionalist Emmylou Harris, she isn't afraid of a sassy country rock beat or progressive lyrics that paint her as a woman who knows what she wants from love".

[30] Nash also noted that Loveless had yet to win any industry awards at the time of the album's release, stating that "her lack of both flamboyance and any desire to play Nashville politics" may have been a factor.

[30] Carole L. Phillips of The Cincinnati Post stated that Loveless "fus[es] the driving emotional intensity of rock with a throaty tenor".

[57] An uncredited article in The Courier-News of Bridgewater, New Jersey, stated that Loveless was "[b]lessed with a natural honky-tonk moan and heart-on-sleeve vocal honesty".