On his 2016 debut, Ulices Chaidez was still finding his voice as a norteño storyteller, even if his raw talent was undeniable. But that prodigious young songwriter has grown into a true poet of rural life on El Elegido. Corridos like "El Pánico" and "El Dedo" spark grins with their jubilantly strummed guitars, while Chaidez's visceral imagery plunges you into the center of life-and-death struggles. And while the singer is unafraid to get unflinchingly grim, his lovely románticas do offer some shamelessly sweet relief, especially the lilting duet "Como los Vaqueros."