House of Music by Tony Toni Toné

House of Music is the fourth and final album by American R&B band Tony! Toni! Toné! It was released on November 19, 1996, by Mercury Records. It followed the success of the band's 1993 Sons of Soul album and a hiatus marked by the members' individual musical projects. For House of Music, Tony! Toni! Toné! regrouped in 1995 and worked at studios in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Sacramento. Bassist and vocalist Raphael Saadiq, guitarist and vocalist D'wayne Wiggins, and percussionist/keyboardist Timothy Christian Riley worked on songs for the album independently before recording them together as a group. Most of the album was produced by the group; the only song to feature outside production was "Let's Get Down", by Saadiq and rapper/producer DJ Quik and G-One. Tony! Toni! Toné! sought to emphasize musicianship rather than production technique during the sessions. The record expanded on their previous work's traditional R&B influences with live instrumentation and balladry. Music journalists have noted the album's incorporation of traditional and contemporary sensibilities, themes of love and romance, and witty, sensitive lyrics. Tony! Toni! Toné! named House of Music after a small record store in the band's native city of Oakland, which Wiggins said they were reminded of after listening to the album. The album charted for 31 weeks on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 32, and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised Tony! Toni! Toné!'s musicianship and songwriting. An international tour promoting House of Music was planned but did not materialize amid growing tensions within the group stemming from creative differences. They disbanded shortly after the album's release to pursue separate music careers.