I Know (Luther Vandross album)

I Know
Studio album by Luther Vandross
Released	August 11, 1998
Recorded	January–May 1998
Studio	Various Clinton Recording Studios (New York City, New York) Sony Scoring Stage (Culver City, California) Sound Barriers (New York City, New York) The Hit Factory (New York City, New York) The Record Plant (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	R&B quiet storm adult contemporary
Length	67:04
Label	Virgin
Producer	Luther Vandross (also executive) Marcus Miller Nat Adderley, Jr. Terence "Tramp Baby" Abney Kenny "Dope" Gonzales Tony Moran "Little" Louie Vega
Luther Vandross chronology
Love Is on the Way (1998) I Know (1998) Always & Forever: The Classics (1999)
Singles from I Know
"I Know" Released: June 1998 "Nights in Harlem" Released: July 14, 1998

I Know is the twelfth studio album by American R&B singer and songwriter Luther Vandross, released in August 1998 (see 1998 in music), and his only one for Virgin Records. It serves as his first album since fulfilling his contract with Epic after the release of his album Your Secret Love (1996). The album features guest appearances from artists such as Cassandra Wilson, Guru, Stevie Wonder, Brandy, Marcella Precise and Bob James.

The album's title track earned Vandross two nominations at the 41st Grammy Awards including for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the aforementioned album and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the album's single. The album debuted and peaked at number twenty-six on the US Billboard 200 album chart, becoming his first album since Give Me the Reason (1986) to miss the top ten of the albums chart. The album also peaked within the top ten of the R&B Albums chart, reaching number nine. It was later certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in late 1998, becoming his only studio album to do so. It was also Vandross' only album, barring his Christmas release, to not produce a charting single on the Billboard Hot 100.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	B− [2]
Rolling Stone	[3]
Vibe	(favorable) [4]

AllMusic editor Tim Sheridan found that on Vandross' "Virgin debut, he eases into his groove once again. Whether he's dealing in the easy, gospel-inflected pop of album opener "Keeping My Faith in You" or the jazzy hooks of the title track, Vandross is in command. The disc is strong overall. R&B doesn't get any glossier." ^[1] Paul Verna from Billboard felt that I Know was "a testament to what a real love song should be, rather than the bump'n'grind workouts that tend to masquerade as '90s romantic music." ^[5] In a lukewarm review for Entertainment Weekly Tony Scherman wrote that "despite his having sold 20-plus million records, the latter-day king of R&B romance lacks the distinctiveness, the instantly recognizable sound of the genre’s true heroes [...] Treacle then, treacle now." ^[2]

Track listing

I Know track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Keeping My Faith in You"	Luther Vandross Reed Vertelney	Vandross	4:55
2.	"Isn't There Someone"	Vandross Richard Marx	Vandross	4:41
3.	"Religion"	Vandross Tony Moran	Vandross Moran	4:35
4.	"Get It Right" (featuring Marcella Precise)	Vandross Marcella Brailsford Marcus Miller	Vandross Terence "Tramp-Baby" Abney	5:26
5.	"I Know" (featuring Stevie Wonder on harmonica)	Vandross Vertelney	Vandross	5:22
6.	"I'm Only Human" (featuring Cassandra Wilson and Bob James)	Vandross Miller	Vandross Miller	5:28
7.	"Nights in Harlem" (featuring Marcella Precise)	Vandross Brailsford Rex Rideout Fonzi Thornton	Vandross	4:57
8.	"Dream Lover"	Vandross Miller	Vandross	4:32
9.	"When I Need You"	Albert Hammond Carole Bayer Sager	Nat Adderley Jr.	6:47
10.	"Are You Using Me?"	Vandross Thornton Carl Gonzalez Luis Vager	Little Louie Vega Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez	5:21
11.	"Are You Mad at Me?"	Vandross John Anderson	Vandross	4:35
12.	"Now That I Have You"	Vandross Vertelney	Vandross	5:01
13.	"Nights in Harlem (Darkchild Extended Remix)" (featuring Guru)	Vandross Brailsford Rideout Thornton	Vandross Rodney Jerkins (add.)	5:24
Total length:				67:04

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for I Know Chart (1998) Peak position UK Albums (OCC) [6] 42 US Billboard 200 [7] 26 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [8] 9

Year-end charts Year-end chart performance for I Know Chart (1998) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [9] 88

Certifications

Certifications for I Know

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [10]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. I Know at AllMusic
2. Scherman, Tony (August 14, 1998). "Music Review: 'I Know' Review". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved April 4, 2013.
3. Magazine, Rolling Stone (1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll: The Definitive History of the Most Important Artists and Their Music. ISBN   9780679737285.
4. Torres, Richard (September 1998). "Revolutions". Vibe . Retrieved April 14, 2021.
5. Verna, Paul (August 29, 1998). "Reviews & Previews". Billboard . Retrieved April 14, 2021.
6. "Luther Vandross | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
7. "Luther Vandross Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
8. "Luther Vandross Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
9. "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 1998". Billboard . Retrieved July 27, 2018.
10. "American album certifications – Luther Vandross – I Know". Recording Industry Association of America.