I'm not sure if the D chord your talking about is major or minor, I'm assuming it's minor. If so try some form of g minor. You can add a 9th on to it to mellow it out(a), or a 7th ( f ). You can also play a Bb maj. or dominant (Bb7) before going to the A & then to the D-, this is a cool turnaround that is used in minor blues.