McCoy announced his plans to pursue a solo career in early 2010, although he insisted that Gym Class Heroes had not broken up.

[6] He had originally prepared to record an introspective album of "sad and somber" acoustic songs reflective of his state of mind following his breakup with Katy Perry and his addiction to painkillers.

[7] However, he decided to scrap his early material and start over, calling it "too personal" and saying "I didn't want that to be my first look as a solo artist," comparing the album to Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak (2008).

[5][7] He relocated to Miami, Florida, to record new material and recover from his addiction, which helped him to create a more upbeat album because he "want[ed] to do something positive.

[10] McCoy also selected the guest appearances for the album quickly after writing individual parts of songs, choosing artists he felt would work best with the musical style he had in mind.

The hook of "Dr. Feel Good" was written by Bruno Mars, and upon hearing Mars sing it, McCoy decided that Cee Lo Green would be a good candidate to sing the hook, as McCoy had idolized Green since his teenage years after listening to him on the song "Git Up, Git Out" from OutKast's debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik (1994).

"[11] He intended to save more personal themes for Gym Class Heroes' subsequent release, The Papercut Chronicles II (2011).

[12] The song was inspired by an inside joke between McCoy and a friend which involved superstition that looking at a digital clock at 11:34 is bad luck, as it reads "hell" upside down.

"[10] "Billionaire", the album's lead single, displays reggae influences; Gregory Heaney of AllMusic compared the song to Sublime.

[10] In the same vein of "Need You", McCoy described "Critical", featuring Tim William, as "really personal, introspective subject matter put into an upbeat pop song.

McCoy explained that the opening song "Dr. Feel Good" is about "escapism through music" and that it expresses how he felt about recovering from drug addiction and depression.

'"[14] With the song, McCoy intended to avoid "superficial" lyrics in the wake of an economic recession, and added "There's something to sing about here; if I was in the position to have a ridiculous amount of money, would I be selfish or selfless?’ I just took that concept and ran with it.

[10] McCoy chose the name for the album, which is also his middle name, after his experiences in charity work in HIV awareness in South Africa, India, and the Philippines in the summer of 2009 that "really changed [his] outlook on life.

"[9] Lazarus of Bethany is the subject of a miracle in the New Testament of the Bible in which Jesus restores him back to life after being dead for four days.

[8] The album's artwork, designed by Brent Rollins and Alex R. Kirzhner, features a recurring theme of clouds and city skylines.

[16] Amber McDonald of The Daily Loaf felt that the artwork accurately portrayed the album's key themes: "This convincingly fun record is filled with lyrical introspection and, in spite of all its hip-hop, pop-hook, pay-it-forward-ness, there are gray clouds that work to keep the mood of the album realistic and relatable to the worlds of listeners.

"[8] On April 28, 2010, McCoy embarked on the Too Fast For Love tour with Cobra Starship and 3OH!3, featuring a backup band that includes Gym Class Heroes drummer Matt McGinley.

Spin's Mikael Wood gave the album 3½ out of 5 stars and commended its pop-oriented sound, stating "most of Lazarus is so bright you'll need (designer) shades".

[29] Melanie Bertoldi of Billboard agreed with Shriver about "The Manual", and praised the album's "relatable themes" further commenting that "The 10-track album's inclusion of reggae-influenced beats and dance jams may polarize listeners, but its snappy wordplay and deep introspection will appeal to a wide demographic of music lovers.

"[12] Nathan Slavik of DJBooth.com called Lazarus a "smile-inducing, high quality hip-pop album from a distinctly creative and original voice", praising the record's uptempo yet dark songs.

Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone gave the album 2½ out of 5 stars, calling his crooning-style rapping "more unctuous than charming".

[27] Blare Magazine criticized the over-abundance of guest appearances and likened the album to "a newborn child forced out of a hip-hop womb by 13 different fathers", while opining that McCoy still demonstrates musical potential.

[24] Mike Diver of the BBC was highly critical of the disc, noting that "McCoy employs too many disparate styles...for Lazarus to hold any attention for more than a fleeting period.

"[33] Although Diver praised Cee Lo Green's "spotlight-stealing" contribution to "Dr. Feel Good", he referred to "We'll Be Alright" as "repulsive" and the reggae stylings of "Billionaire" as "horribly dated".

[36] On May 17, 2019, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States.