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Country music superstar Tim McGraw is arguably the least likely candidate in this fall's celebrity fragrance race - a selling season that will see new fragrances from Patrick Dempsey, Gwen Stefani, Paris Hilton, Usher, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson and new Bond Girl Gemma Arterton.

But Women's Wear Daily predicts that McGraw's scent, a woody-spicy cologne called, natch, McGraw, has a big potential market in country-music fans.

McGraw is known for his style sense and appears at his interview in a Dior suit, Gucci shirt and Dolce & Gabbana shoes, topped off by a Stetson. "I really have to say my fashion sense is thanks to my wife," he said, referring to singer Faith Hill. "She makes sure I always look good."

McGraw worked with fragrance house Symrise to develop the scent, learning about such arcane elements as olfactory pyramids. "These are the top, heart and base notes of a fragrance," he says. "By the time the scent was completed, I was calling them food charts because that is what they look like.

"But I honestly didn't know you could customize ingredients so much."

The singer, who appears with Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn in the upcoming film Four Christmases, says he is always looking for ways to extend his art. "Music and fragrance both inspire emotion. I'm always amazed at how smells can take you to a place and time. Although mixing perfume never got women screaming."

Happily, his band members approved of the final cut. "I've been best friends with them since high school and college. So they aren't afraid to tell it to me straight. I'm happy to say they all like it and wear it. As soon as I told them there are whisky notes in it, they were sold."

McGraw retails for $32 for the 50-millilitre eau de toilette spray. It's available at Wal-Mart, Zellers and drugstores across Canada.