What does it mean to have a "classic" soul sound?

For this reviewer, it means harkening back to the 1960s and 1970s, when musical instruments reigned supreme, before digital mumbo jumbo sucked the soul out of nearly everything within a million mile radius of the pop charts.

It is refreshing to see that organic spirit alive and well on "Goodbye Mr. Kim," the new single by South Korean singer ALi featuring rapper LE of the K-pop girl group EXID.

The inclusion of a rapper immediately makes it clear "Goodbye Mr. Kim" is no retro throwback. Rather, the artists and producers seem to be harnessing the classic soul sound as raw material for a modern hip-hop infused pop track.

One of the most appealing things about that raw material is that classic Korean artists of the era like Cho Young Pil or Shin Jung Hyeon are being referenced here, not just Motown and Stax. And though Cho or Shin might not be soul artists in the strictest sense, when you hold the music these giants of Korean music were making out the time, it's hard not to see a similarity with the barrage of raw dance grooves coming out of the US at the time.

And all of the above is thrown into the pot for "Goodbye Mr. Kim," creating a sound as deep as it is original.

LE, for her part, delivers solid rhymes under difficult circumstances. Bold was the producer who heard this song and thought, "it needs a rapper." Yet, with an almost Kanye-like aplomb, LE soon makes you forget that it is an odd musical backdrop for hip-hop.

But the star of the show is clearly ALi.

The singer, a former music professor, clearly has the chops to decimate with an Ailee or even Beyonce level of vocal chops. Instead, she keeps her phrasing melodic and passionate, unleashing fire with the melody alone.

Look out pop divas; ALi just put you on notice.

Listen to "Goodbye Mr. Kim" the new single by ALi featuring LE of EXID RIGHT HERE