According to urban myth, Haddaway was a musical prodigy who from a young age played various instruments successfully, before becoming a singer. It was by pure coincidence that Nestor Alexander Haddaway from Trinidad got the opportunity to sing such a song via the songwriting team of a famous German couple in the music industry. Regardless, and given the circumstances, this song is his to sing. It went into the top five of many Pop charts in the world, and this song still remains a very popular piece of music from the early 1990s. It is along the lines of Eurodance Music, although in a way, isn’t so cheesy to listen to. Let’s take a good listen to this EP, and we shall hear if it is good or not.

What Is Love – 7″ Mix begins with Haddaway’s awesome vocals, and keyboard patches galore and launches into a fantastic and enjoyable tune. Sure, this is only a one-hit wonder, but goodness, it sounds great. Haddaway sings deeply and emotionally throughout. Additional textures are thrown into the mix, and the bridge section with female vocals is remarkably like 2 Unlimited in its own way. A catchy organ is present in this tune as well. Indeed, this is something that should be on your personal Spotify playlist. A fine anthem, and definitely worth repeat listens. This is a great fusion of vocals, EDM beats and natural progressions throughout music. There is a breakdown in the second half of the tune before this goes into a strange interlude before Haddaway returns on vocals to express his disappointment in love itself. Regardless, this is an energetic tune that any EDM fan should be aware of. A great, great song to listen to. It ends with some delayed vocals.

What Is Love – 12″ Mix begins with some keyboard washes, and Haddaway singing nicely. This is an extended version of the original tune, which is appropriate for late-night DJ sets. The music present is really fantastic to listen to, all the same. This sounds really good to listen to, even in this extended mix. The whole tune is a really great masterpiece in terms of Eurodance, and what it offered musically during the 1990s. A really fantastic listening experience that sounds energetic, spirited and fun. The bridge section also sounds great, throughout this tune. There is a breakdown in the second half, followed by awesome electronic sounds and patches. A clever, interesting and amazing tune. The second half is remarkably different from the first half of this track, it sounds rather dark and eerie instrumentally. There are other interesting percussion based sounds that are extremely pretty in this song, too. Towards the end, Haddaway sounds very emotional and cool, just like a singer of his sort should. This is a great extended DJ-style mix to accompany the original hit song. It is a bit lengthy, but it also sounds undeniably great. It ends with an outstanding sustained vocal and keyboard to match. Sweet.

What Is Love – Club Mix begins with the organ patch in the right channel, before 4/4 beats enter, along with the Electronic sounds from the main track. Some rolling drumbeats enter and this different mix gets going nicely. This is the sort of mix that one would need to hear if they are less concerned with singing and lyrics, and more into textures. Nonetheless, this music sounds very pretty and wonderful throughout. This is an excellent listening experience, although not as magical as the original mix of this song. A very interesting and lovely remix, this retains much of the original character of the song at hand. In the second half, there are more interesting textures galore and music that is very driven. All in all, the music is really fantastic to hear. This eventually launches back into the final verses, before some rolling drumbeats launch this tune into the outro present. A fantastic remix, once again. Worth your attention and ears.

Sing About Love is an extra tune to finish off this EP. Some quirky instrumentation launches this tune off, before launching into an awful tune that proves that Haddaway was definitely a one-hit wonder. It does have some socially aware lyrics, but aside from that, this is not exactly what one can enjoy listening to. Haddaway is better off singing rather than Rapping here. Still, this mediocre tune can be easily overlooked in terms of quality and such, as the rest of the songs on this EP are good. In any case, you could probably skip this one totally. It isn’t very good at all. A nice try, but the music and format present do not match Haddaway’s musical approach at all. This is not exactly what one should be hearing. A weird listen, and it goes on for much too long as well. A fairly ordinary listening experience. It ends with some interesting Electronic sounds, and the EP concludes here.

This EP is very much an essential listening experience for those who love the 1990s. Unfortunately, it is rather hit-and-miss in terms of overall musical quality, especially with the last track on this EP. Regardless, What Is Love is Haddaway’s shining moment in musical history. Should you listen to this EP? It’s up to you, but it makes sense to listen to the main song and forget the others here. Which is both good and bad.

A good main song and an okay EP that exudes soulful emotion.

6/10