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Seg. 1: Familiar Issues Await New Missouri General Assembly. Seg. 2: The Best Music Of 2018.

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Lawmakers return Wednesday to Jefferson City to launch the 2019 legislative session.

Segment 1: Missouri has had three governors in the last three years. Soon, a new class of state lawmakers will take their seats in the Statehouse.

Missouri lawmakers will next week begin revisiting proposals on more than a few issues previous legislatures were unable to resolve. A gas tax that would have financed road and bridge projects was rejected by voters in November, leaving state lawmakers wondering how else to find the funding. Other issues like Clean Missouri and a prescription drug-monitoring program are likely to be taken up. 

Segment 2, beginning at 20:20: Kansas City jazz artist Logan Richardson, Janelle Monae, and Cardi B are just a few of the artists that made it on our music critic's playlists.

2018 was a monumental year in music for both artists and fans alike. With so many great talents competing for the top spot, it's hard to narrow down the best. Luckily, our team of music connoisseurs came in to help us out. They shared their favorite local and global artists, as well as their pick for artist of the year, which are listed below.

Bill Brownlee

Top Kansas City artists of 2018:

Top global artists of 2018:

  • Cardi B, "Invasion of Privacy" 
  • Ambrose Akinmusire, "Origami Harvest" 
  • Drake, "Scorpion"

Artist of the year: Kanye West

Calvin Arsenia

Top Kansas City artists of 2018:

Top global artists of 2018:

  • Janelle Monae, "Dirty Computer"
  • Dirty Projectors, "Lamp Lit Prose" 
  • Brandi Carlile, "By theWay I Forgive You" 

Artist of the year: Janelle Monae

Judy Mills

Top Kansas City artists of 2018:

Top global artists of 2018:

  • Low, "Dancing and Blood" 
  • Christine and the Queens, "Girlfriend" 
  • Kamasi Washington, "Fists of Fury" 

Artist of the year: BTS

When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.