[#25] Ailee - "Mind Your Own Business"

From: "VIVID"
Previous Best of Entries: 2012: [#2] "Shut Up" (With Simon D) and [#4] "Invitation" / 2013: [#17] "I'll Be OK" / 2014: [9] "Singing Got Better" and [#7] "A Real Man" (With Swings)
Other notable song(s) from 2015: "미치지 않고서야"(Feat. 다이나믹듀오), "문득병", "Teardrop"

My love for Ailee's talent and vocal capabilities is the kind that surpasses the frustrations I have over her career and repertoire. Hands-down I think Ailee is the most talented, capable female singer of her generation because she has something a lot of other K-Pop heavyweight female belters lack—effortless power. Taeyeon has a beautiful, feminine yet flexible timbre and Hyorin has the depth—but Ailee can hit, belt, and sing those same notes with such conviction and ease.

That said though, it's very clear what kind of material Ailee is given for lead singles. And while yes, they bring out her vocals, they tend to sound repetitive—for Ailee singles either the power uptempo or the sappy ballad, with little in between. But just when I thought Ailee's material wasn't really going anywhere, in comes "Mind Your Own Business."

"Mind Your Business" isn't a complete deviation from the material Ailee has been putting out—but that's a good thing. The track is just like a freshening up of what has already been established for her—more power and less melodrama at the verses, a slightly more edgy arrangement but with instruments familiar to an Ailee track, and generally a song that has more going on for it than just Ailee carrying it. Ailee has the edge, it's about time her repertoire follows suit.