Because they see dozens of venues and towns each year, you can never expect performers to remember a particular gig, especially one from two years ago. So, when Australian singer/songwriter Kasey Chambers referenced a number of things specific to her previous Milwaukee gig, the audience couldn't help but be charmed.

Her mix of country, folk, pop and blues-edged rock didn't hurt, either, Thursday night at the Northern Lights Theater in Potawatomi Bingo Casino, where Chambers performed with her five-piece band. The room wasn't sold out, but the crowd comprised more than a few vocal, die-hard fans who were treated to some of the best concert sound at any venue in Milwaukee.

Deferring to her second album, "Barricades and Brickwalls," Chambers didn't focus on her third and latest, "Wayward Angel," until the roughly hour-long set was half over. At that point, she asked the crowd for requests from the new record and proceeded to play them all. Her solo debut, "The Captain," was only occasionally referenced.

From "Barricades," she performed the slow, chugging roadhouse rockin' title track, the plaintive "On A Bad Day" and the Hank Williams-ish "A Little Bit Lonesome," before offering up the crowd-pleasing hit, "Not Pretty Enough" and "Runaway Train," from the same disc.

Then Chambers -- dressed in blue jeans, a sparkling black top and a glitzy scarf pulled tight around her neck and cascading down her back -- turned to "Wayward Angel," which she said was named for her 2-and-a-half-year-old son, who made an unexpected appearance onstage last time she was in Milwaukee.

She played "Pony," "Hollywood," "Bluebird" and "Stronger," to a rare crowd that seemed to appreciate the new tunes as much as the more familiar ones, perhaps because it has had time to parse the record, which was released a couple months ago.

After about an hour, Chambers left the stage to a roar and returned for two encores. The first offered a tender, acoustic version of "The Captain" and a cover of Gram Parsons' "Sin City," with her dad and her brother Nash, who also serves as her producer and manager. The second was a rousing band version of "Crossfire," from "Barricades."

Chambers' personable patter, modest demeanor and memories of Milwaukee ensured that the crowd was in her hands all night long and her crack band, which includes her father Bill Chambers on guitar, mandolin, lap steel and dobro, sealed the deal.

Two brief opening sets kicked off the evening. The first was from Sydney's Shane Nicholson whose half-dozen tunes were melancholy and melodic and Nicholson's voice recalled that of Aztec Camera's Roddy Frame, for those old enough to remember. Nicholson was accompanied on some tunes by Chambers' guitarist Glen Hannah and returned to the stage during Chambers' set to duet with her on a cover of Neil Young's "Comes a Time."

Next up with a similarly short set from Nashville's Holly Williams -- granddaughter of Hank, daughter of Hank Jr. and half-sister of Hank III -- who despite a warm voice, able guitar playing and interesting songs failed to connect with the audience as well as Nicholson.