We Are Sent Here by History

We Are Sent Here by History
Studio album by Shabaka and the Ancestors
Released	13 March 2020 (2020-03-13)
Length	63:58
Label	Impulse!
Shabaka and the Ancestors chronology
Wisdom of Elders (2016) We Are Sent Here by History (2020) Afrikan Culture (as Shabaka) (2022)

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.[1][2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	8/10[3]
Metacritic	84/100[4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
The Guardian	[6]
Pitchfork	8/10[7]
The Skinny	[8]

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.[4]

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

All tracks are written by Shabaka Hutchings and Siyabonga Mthembu.

We Are Sent Here by History track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"They Who Must Die"	10:10
2.	"You've Been Called"	6:29
3.	"Go My Heart, Go to Heaven"	6:41
4.	"Behold, the Deceiver"	6:01
5.	"Run, the Darkness Will Pass"	4:08
6.	"The Coming of the Strange Ones"	6:28
7.	"Beast Too Spoke of Suffering"	2:58
8.	"We Will Work (On Redefining Manhood)"	5:24
9.	"'Til the Freedom Comes Home"	7:06
10.	"Finally, the Man Cried"	5:48
11.	"Teach Me How to Be Vulnerable"	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. 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.
2. Yates, Sian (31 January 2020). "Shabaka & the Ancestors announce new album We Are Sent Here By History". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
3. "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
4. "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
5. Jurek, Thom. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
6. Spencer, Neil (28 March 2020). "Shabaka and the Ancestors: We Are Sent Here By History review – shamanic lyricism". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
7. Ismael Ruiz, Michael (28 March 2020). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
8. Johnson, Eugenie (10 March 2020). "The Skinny Magazine Review". The Skinny. 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.