The Best Songs in Dallas Music, 2009: Dorrough Paints A Gem With "Ice Cream Paint Job" at No. 7

A fine display of the highly enjoyable draw of the D-Town Boogie sound, "Ice Cream Paint Job" stands as perhaps the crown jewel in the Dallas hip-hop cap, a non-instructional dance track that's almost impossible not to dance to--and, better yet, isn't a completely embarrassing offering as the town tries to lay its claim as the next big hip-hop Mecca. (I'm looking at you, "Do The Ricky Bobby".)

At face value, "Ice Cream Paint Job," what with Dorrough running down a checklist of things a car must have for him to feel good riding in it (all fantasy, by the way), serves as simply an ode to automobiles. But, on another level, it's more like an allegory to the whole Dallas hip-hop movement, which emphasizes style as much as substance. Dorrough's simply talking about how cool he and his car are. And he's boasting rather than bragging--an important distinction, as well.

At its core, the D-Town Boogie movement isn't about how much cooler Dallas and its artists and fans are than others--the goofy dances these fans all enjoy pretty much prove that much alone--but rather about how much fun everyone's having and how proud they are of as much. It's knowingly goofy and unabashedly fun. Or that's how it's supposed to be.

Before Dorrough even introduces himself on the track, he shows that he understands that much, letting out big, infectious laugh. See, he knows he's about to sing a goofy song about his car's paint job, and he doesn't care; he's just trying to have some fun with it. And because he does so naturally and with great ease, the song scores as a result.

The Top 40 Local Songs of 2009 (Links to music videos and free song downloads available where applicable; links to streams where neither a download nor video exists.)