We Are Sent Here by History
Studio album by
Shabaka and the Ancestors
Released13 March 2020 (2020-03-13)
Length63:58
LabelImpulse!
Shabaka and the Ancestors chronology
Wisdom of Elders
(2016) 		We Are Sent Here by History
(2020)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8/10[1]
Metacritic84/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Guardian[4]
Pitchfork8/10[5]
The Skinny[6]

We Are Sent Here by History is a studio album by British-Barbadian musician Shabaka Hutchings, under his band "Shabaka and the Ancestors". It was released on 13 March 2020 under Impulse! Records.[7][8]

Critical reception

We Are Sent Here by History was met with universal acclaim reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 84, based on 11 reviews.[2]

As Rob Shepherd noted for PostGenre: "As much as history may have sent [the band] to this moment in time, one senses future generations will themselves be looking back to this music in forging their own artistic paths." [9]

Track listing

We Are Sent Here by History track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."They Who Must Die"
10:10
2."You've Been Called"
  • Hutchings
  • Mthembu
6:29
3."Go My Heart, Go to Heaven"
  • Hutchings
  • Mthembu
6:41
4."Behold, The Deceiver"
  • Hutchings
  • Mthembu
6:01
5."Run, The Darkness Will Pass"
  • Hutchings
  • Mthembu
4:08
6."The Coming of the Strange Ones"
  • Hutchings
  • Mthembu
6:28
7."Beast Too Spoke of Suffering"
  • Hutchings
  • Mthembu
2:58
8."We Will Work (On Redefining Manhood)"
  • Hutchings
  • Mthembu
5:24
9."'Til the Freedom Comes Home"
  • Hutchings
  • Mthembu
7:06
10."Finally, The Man Cried"
  • Hutchings
  • Mthembu
5:48
11."Teach Me How To Be Vulnerable"
  • Hutchings
  • Mthembu
2:45

Charts

Chart performance for
We Are Sent Here by History
Chart (2020) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[10] 81
Scottish Albums (OCC)[11] 90
UK Jazz & Blues Albums (OCC)[12] 3
US Top Contemporary Jazz Albums (Billboard)[13]
10
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[14]
23

References

  1. ^ "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  3. ^ Jurek, Thom. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  4. ^ Spencer, Neil (28 March 2020). "Shabaka and the Ancestors: We Are Sent Here By History review – shamanic lyricism". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  5. ^ Ismael Ruiz, Michael (28 March 2020). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  6. ^ Johnson, Eugenie (10 March 2020). "The Skinny Magazine Review". The Skinny. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  7. ^ Spice, Anton (31 January 2020). "Shabaka Hutchings and The Ancestors announce new album We Are Sent Here By History". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  8. ^ Yates, Sian (31 January 2020). "Shabaka & the Ancestors announce new album We Are Sent Here By History". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Review: Shabaka and the Ancestors' 'We Are Sent Here by History'". 27 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Shabaka and the Ancestors – We Are Sent Here by History" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Official Jazz & Blues Albums Chart Top 30". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Contemporary Jazz Albums Charts". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  14. ^ "Tastemaker Albums Chart". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2020.


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