Laid Black is a studio album by American recording artist Marcus Miller. It was released on June 1, 2018 by Blue Note Records. Laid Black was nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. The album features collaborations with Trombone Shorty, Jonathan Butler, Take 6, Selah Sue, Kirk Whalum & Alex Han.
The track "Keep 'Em Runnin" is based on "Runnin" from Earth, Wind & Fire's 1977 album "All 'n All". Miller's arrangement plays the original melody over a half-tempo hip hop beat and adds a rap.
Michelle Mercer of DownBeat wrote, "ThereâÂÂs no judging an album by its cover. But the cover of Marcus MillerâÂÂs Laid Black is a litmus test: The titleâÂÂs pun, the image of a shirtless Miller gazing with soulful directness and the musicianâÂÂs reputation itself will divide most listeners into believers and doubters before theyâÂÂve even heard the first bass slap." Dan Bilawski of JazzTimes stated, "In liberally mixing aspects of R&B, trap, funk, and hip-hop with jazz, Miller manages to play up their commonalities while leveraging the originality and accessibility of each."
All songs written by Marcus Miller, except where noted.