Barbra Streisand’s output slowed down in the 80s. After averaging more than an album a year since the start of her recording career, she waited four years after 1980’s Guilty to release her next one.

That was Emotion (1984), a return to the middle of the road pop material she put out in the 70s. The album sold decently but earned a collective shrug from critics. Streisand decided it was time to go back to her roots.

Record studio execs weren’t thrilled when she said her next album would be a collection of show tunes, but Streisand had enjoyed full control over her creative output since her very first contract, and she got to work on what would become The Broadway Album.

I guess this is just the latest example of why not to listen to record execs, because this album became one of Streisand’s most successful and beloved releases. It went 4X Platinum and reached #1 on the Billboard 200.

The Broadway Album is a perfect match of song selection and performance. Streisand chose beloved classics from musicals such as Carousel, West Side Story, The King and I, Show Boat, and Porgy and Bess. She performed them live with an orchestra after a month of rehearsals. Her renditions are sublime, with a healthy mix of humor, pathos, and belting to the rafters.

This is the Barbra Streisand album I know best, having heard it in my family home for years. I really liked it then, even as a kid with no awareness of Broadway music, which is a testament to the record’s crossover appeal. My favorite track has always been ‘Not While I’m Around’ from Sweeney Todd, a real standout on an album without a weak moment.

(Note: Happy Birthday to my sister, Amy! I swear I didn’t plan for a landmark album by one of her favorite artists to fall on this day, which makes it all the more special.)