In a contemporary scene as competitive and brimming with youthful talent as música mexicana, it can prove a challenge to stand out from the pack. For Julio Caesar, a Los Angeles native with roots in Culiacán, the quality of his growing songbook certainly hasn’t hurt his prospects. His most substantive project to date, the 12-track Enero reflects his skilled pen as much as the effortless cool of his vocal delivery. From edgy corridos like “rascacielos” and “solecito” to more romantic cuts like the sentimental single “sirena,” he fits in perfectly with the moods and mores of the prevailing subgenres. He goes from modern courtship on the tender and vulnerable “linda muñequita” to the pouty, sad, sierreño-styled slouch of “adivinando” with ease. Relationships in various stages of collapse dominate the discussion here, encompassing the crestfallen desperation of “boletos” as well as the slowly simmering rage of “nada en común.”