You can hear its exultation in the first single to be released to urban radio, "Nights in Harlem," which celebrates with funk, rap and sweet, old-fashioned soul, Vandross' own childhood, one spent immersed in the music of his neighborhood and the dreams that one day it would be him up on that legendary Apollo Theater stage. Of course, Vandross has done that and much more: Few performers in the past two decades have toured as consistently or as successfully as Luther, who doesn't have to rely on package bills or prerecorded tracks to sell out arenas. "To me, the album is a blueprint of what the songs can be," he reasons. "You get the real thing live." Although Vandross, as always, remains firmly in control of his sound and pens his own lyrics, more musical collaborators than ever have come to the party. Along with previous contributors Marcus Miller, Nat Adderley Jr. and Reed Vertelney, I Know boasts an influx of new blood. "Religion" was co-written and co-produced by Tony Moran, the former Latin Rascal and current dance master whose production and remixing skills have helped talents as diverse as Gloria Estefan, Robin S., Celine Dion and even Barry Manilow create credible dance tracks beloved of both the dance cognoscenti and the radio listener. "It's the story of a household that no longer lives in harmony," Vandross explains. "In the bigger picture, it's about how people use religion to escape or as their excuse to do things, how everybody has a different perspective on how it functions in their lives, and how some people get forced into it.