With only two unused pages in his passport a sojourn back in New Zealand is rather timely for Lyttelton's favourite international troubadour, Marlon Williams.
With warm-up gigs at Bruce Springsteen mega concerts, and now a call-up for Womad 2017 in New Plymouth Williams is planning on some downtime at home over summer.
Well not downtime exactly as he is in the midst of writing and creating for his follow-up album to his debut and self-titled 2015 release.
Marlon Williams has lived the life of a musical gypsy over the past year working hard to establish a following, particularly in the States.
On the road there he has played everything from small-town honky tonks, New York clubs, to sharing the stage with Willie Nelson at the highly regarded Austin City Limits Festival.
Marlon says he's looking to make a more personal album when he convenes in a Los Angeles studio sometime in early 2017, new material at the ready.
While some of the songs on his first album have a personal bent to them he wants his new album to come from his own heart and life experiences, with perhaps a little less country style.
He's been listening to a totally disparate collection of music during his travels. For example he's currently on a Mamas and Papas bent, is also listening to the late folk-blues Cherokee singer Karen Dalton who was a popular Greenwich Village performer in the 1960's. And then there's hip hop, which Marlon is also enamoured with at the moment.
Along with the announcement of Marlon Williams to an already star-studded line-up, the Womad NZ Programme Manager Emire Wano has introduced additional acts for the Bowl of Brooklands show.
South Korea's Tago will bring their unique drum and percussion based sounds to the Bowl.
Austrian electro-swing band Parov Stelar, fronted by singer Cleo Panther, will make their New Zealand debut exclusive to Womad NZ. Their insanely catchy music that has been used in advertising campaigns across the world with joyous horns and sophisticated style, has the sass and panache of 1920s cabaret, with modern-day dance floor appeal.
And Nattali Rize, the energetic front woman of Blue King Brown gives a fresh take on the Jamaican influences she has recently added to her repertoire.
Aotearoa's Baynk will also perform at Womad the weekend of March 17 - 19.