Milan Ring - Mangos (Deluxe) (2024) Hi-Res

Australian artist Milan Ring is a certified polymath. A seasoned producer, songwriter, and music director who sings and slays on the guitar, she's a respected figure in Sydney/Eora's local R&B scene.

Her impressive credits includes collaborations with Questlove, Ta-ku, Sampa The Great, B Wise, Winston Surfshirt, and an LA studio session with Chance The Rapper's band The Social Experiment and SZA (who she covered for Like A Version).

That rap sheet is a solid indication of the quality and sound of Milan Ring's own solo work, beginning with her 2021 debut album I'm Feeling Hopeful.

After showcasing the breadth of her talent and heritage on that too-good-to-ignore release, Milan Ring continues her artistic journey with her second accomplished album.

Mangos is every bit as juicy and summery as that title suggests. Like its predecessor, it's ripe with world-class R&B, sensual neo-soul and funkified grooves that's as good as any coming out of this country.

Inspired by a summer fling, and the deeper philosophical digging that romance prompted, the album encompasses music that organically glides between poignant and playful.

The irresistibly slinky 'To & Fro' is an example of the latter, pairing delicate guitar with steamy beats the way '90s R&B used to do it. At the other end of the spectrum is the bittersweet 'High As The Moon', where Milan's evocative vocals and guitar dovetail into a yearning topline atop restrained trap beats.

Another stand-out is 'Leo', which wraps celestial lust around delicious vocal hooks and a buttery bass-driven shimmer. (Bonus points for rhyming her astrology sign with a shout-out to The Matrix that isn't on the nose.)

From the glowing vocal arrangements of opener 'Quicksand' to the airy atmosphere and dynamic rhythms of comforting closer 'Sanctuary', nearly every note on Mangos was written, recorded, produced and mixed by Milan Ring at her studio on Gadigal Land in Sydney's Inner West.

That achievement is even more impressive considering the lush, precise blending of live and digital elements on display. There are also thoughtful nods to Milan's Chinese and Indian heritage in the production.

Indian tabla drums underpin dreamy guitar on 'Shadows', one of the album's two reflective interludes, while the shimmering sound of the Guzheng is woven into the title track.

If there's a blemish to the otherwise spotless Mangos it's that there's simply not enough of it to savour.