Music Review | ‘All He Does Is Smile’ 

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Rochester singer-songwriter Sally Drutman — who goes by the moniker Sally Louise — seems to be having a blast on the music video for her latest single, “All He Does Is Smile,” released on January 26.

The sultry soul-pop number starts out with a simple bossa nova rhythm and tropical island vibes before quickly morphing into a brisk toe-tapper with hyperactive drums. Listeners would never know Drutman is also a trained opera singer, but it doesn’t hurt the performance either. She has fantastic vocal control, but there’s also plenty of freedom in her tone.

Although the visuals of the music video, which premiered on February 2, were inspired by the fashion and sensibility of the ’80s, sonically “All He Does Is Smile” seems more indebted to the ’70s, albeit with a 21st-century sheen. A nostalgic Bruno Mars-ification, if you will.


The song is about unrequited love — and being infatuated with the idea of someone rather than the real person — but the melody is so bouncy and sweet, it’s hard to tell. Then again, it makes perfect sense that the sound would match the hue of the rose-colored glasses the singer chooses to metaphorically don here.

Former Rochesterian Blake Pattengale of the projects Two Truths and Redbeard Samurai provides his engineering expertise, with balanced mixing and mastering and intuitive production skills. There’s a lot happening in a brief three-and-a-half minute span, but things never feel too busy.


Sally Louise’s self-confidence comes across loud and clear here, and her pandemic-era emergence as a talented songwriter with great vocal chops feels as fully realized as ever. Whatever new music we hear from the singer — she’s planning to release additional singles this year — listeners can expect something sophisticated, accessible, and top-quality.

Daniel J. Kushner is an arts writer at CITY. He can be reached at [email protected].