Reviews
Photo by Jay Janner
D.A. and Texas Party members, D.A. McDowell (keyboards) and Dickie Childs (saxaphone), entertain their audi
ence with a pleasant mix of Rhythm and Blues, nostalgic rock and Broadway hits.
D.A. and Texas Party
D.A. McDowell, keyboards,
guitar, vocals; Dickie Childs,
saxophone, vocals; Kathie
Cooper Allyn, vocals; Anna
De la Fontaine, vocals.
Kay's Cabaret, Thursday, Sept.
8
■kirk
A party is exactly what a D.A.
and Texas Party show is. Led
by keyboardist/vocalist/guitarist
D.A. McDowell, the group
performs an eclectic mix of
1950s and ’60s rock ’n’ roll,
rhythm and blues, and
Broadway musical numbers.
At Kay’s Cabaret Thursday
night, Texas Party treated an
audience of about 40 to three
hours of music custom-made
for a good time.
With a variety that ranges
from Beatles’ hits to songs from
“My Fair Lady, ” it is a fair
guess that this group has
something for everybody.
McDowell describes the band’s
shows as “a true cabaret
concept. ”
“Sometimes we’ll get into a
dance mode, sometimes an
r&b mode,” he explained
during a break. “We adapt to
what the crowd likes to hear. ”
The audience went wild
during McDowell’s medley of
1950s hits. His fingers skipped
across the keyboard as he
played the boogie-woogie
strains of Jerry Lee Lewis’s hits
“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Coin’
On” and “Great Balls of Fire. ”
Without hesitation, McDowell
then launched into Bobby
Darin’s “Splish Splash” before
ending the rocking medley with
“Chantilly and Lace. ”
Vocalist Anna De la
Fontaine demonstrated her skill
at Barbra Streisand-style tunes
as she performed “Second
Hand Rose, ” which was met
with a warm reception from the
crowd.
Kathie Cooper Allyn,
another vocalist who also
performs with the Stagecenter
community theater group in
Bryan, lent her vocal talents
throughout the show,
alternating between lead and
backup vocals. Her duet with
McDowell on the Mamas and
the Papas’ “California
Dreamin’” showed vocal
harmony that made for an
enjoyable rendition (and I’m
not that wild about the song
itself).
Dickie Childs arrived later in
the evening to thunderous
applause from the moment he
entered the door. The music
took a jazzier turn with Childs’
searing saxophone leads. The
audience loved his version of
“Georgia On My Mind. ”
Childs vocals are no less
impressive either, as he
demonstrated on the
aforementioned song and on
T-Bone Walker’s blues hit
“Stormy Monday. ”
Blues, nostalgic rock,
Broadway — a Texas Party
show promises great
entertainment. The name says
it all.
Review by Shane Hall
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Thursday, Sept. 15,1988/At Ease/Page 5