New York smelled just a bit sweeter last week, as a new fragrance was launched by an R&B legend. Yes, Beyoncé joined husband Jay-Z in the olfactory world with a new scent called Heat. But that's not the one we're talking about.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the raunchy rhythm & blues survivor Andre Williams has released a new fragrance called Bait & Switch, the title drawn from his compilation of the same title. The perfume was originally a limited edition called Sweets, in conjunction with the publication of his pulp novella of the same name, but a potential conflict with another product brought about a bait-and-switch of Williams's own. No matter what the fragrance is called, however, the performer turned perfumer has bestowed it with the slogan "Better Than Smell Good!"

Asked to describe the scent, Williams, whose first hit was called 'Bacon Fat,' said, "It smells like how you feel when you've solved all your problems. It only lasts a short time. Euphoria, that's what it is."

But that name was also already taken, smell-wise. The 73-year-old Williams, who worked for Motown and Chess Records before launching an indie rock comeback a decade ago, said he's well aware that fragrances have become the latest branding opportunities, with Sean John, Kanye West, 50 Cent and others sniffing out licensing deals. "A couple of those homeboys got perfume out there," he said.

In New York last week for a pair of book-launch events, the first-time author had his first meeting with the hard-boiled writer Nick Tosches, who wrote the foreword to 'Sweets.' Williams and his publishers, Norton Records founders Billy Miller and Miriam Linna, brought the writer a humidifier (it's a long story). After reading from his salacious stories at the Poetry Project at St. Marks Church -- "It was fantastic," he said -- the man they call "Mr. Rhythm" has upcoming appearances in New Orleans, Cleveland and Detroit.

He'll be bringing the book and the perfume on the road with him; they're also available through the Norton Web site. The fragrance is perfectly timed for Valentine's Day, he said: "It's a perfect day for a bulldog to become tamed."