Eurogliders, Bryan Adams, Warrant, Emeli Sande, Psychedelic Furs.. this doesn’t sound like any of them.

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[5.57]

Anthony Easton: The vocals are on the wrong edge of insipid, and the diva theatrics never rise full enough to be completely fascinating, and the lyrics, oi, the lyrics — just a mess of dull thoughts sung better by other people. But the music, the froth of it, the choppy guitar, a piano that is not quite plinky redeems it.
[6]

Brad Shoup: I dig how Ailee sings “heaven,” how it become ecstatic gibberish when strung to itself repeatedly. She works a few vocal modes (delicate control, teen-ballad brassiness, R&B talk-sing), all between commendable and exquisite. Still, this type of pop devotional falls in the wrong quadrant of the VH1 coordinate system I use to judge pretty much every creative thing.
[5]

Iain Mew: The production keeps this interesting, with drum beats snapping away, piano that distorts and refuses to settle into the expected constancy and some subtle backing vocals. The problem is that while Ailee’s full-on megaphone vocals work for the chorus, and her softer tones work for the start of each verse, there’s long stretches in between where she sits awkwardly with everything else. Meanwhile, Gi Kwang turns in the most desultory guest appearance since last week.
[5]

John Seroff: I’m completely taken with this beautifully rendered puffball.  The pulsing chorus of “HEAVENEAVENEAVENEAVEN” might as well be a ray gun zapping my pleasure centers; it’s everything grandiose and foolish in pop condensed and ululated with disabling precision.  I’m perfectly happy with “Heaven” al fresco, but ditch The Sixth Sense video and translate for the Anglos and there’s zero reason in my mind this couldn’t rush up the US/UK pop charts.  The formula, she has been cracked.
[9]

Frank Kogan: “YouTube sensation” + “legit voice and chops” is not a formula that bodes well for actual artistry. And often enough, “singer + ballad” = “Frank tuning out.” But Ailee’s voice being clear and steady, and her ability to drop back and be fetching during verses and transitions, make this a pleasant surprise. Chorus is too loud, but it is pretty; so are the harmonies.
[6]

Jonathan Bogart: For a moment I thought the chorus was going to elevate this out of bathetic balladry, but the repeated “heaven”s don’t add up to anything more than a bunch of repeated “heaven”s, and her voice is neither strong enough nor strange enough to demand the listener’s interest on its own merits.
[4]

Alfred Soto: K-pop singles like this which attempt a amalgam of “American Idol” diva moments and adrenalin-fueled sugar rushes leave me uneasy. I mean, there’s a strong cover of the Eurogliders’ “Heaven (Must Be There)” fighting to get out!
[4]