I don't think say Piddly or Sha Sha Mi Mi are any less orchestral than songs like Naan Kadhalin Pudu Padagan which he did at his commercial peak. So it's a misnomer that orchestra defines IR, which surprisingly even IR has encouraged through his discourses/rants in public over the last few years. What people who yearn for that 80s like feeling are missing in the new albums is the more heightened energy levels and sharp dynamic shifts in the 80s songs. I remember once I heard Kurangu Kaiyil Maalai and Thodatha Taalam back to back and was surprised at how much more vigorous the latter track was. But that is a function of how music is produced these days. Even very pedestrian Hindi soundtracks from that time were recorded in a more organic way than today. IR has moved on and adapted to the music culture of the day, but the fans cling to the past. Also, if you heard Karthik sing some IR classics in the NEPV launch, that should tell you that most of today's playback singers simply cannot execute his material with the conviction and energy that SPB or Yesudas brought to the table. The singers played a greater role in breathing life into IR's songs than perhaps he, the fans or critics have acknowledged over the years. Even a composer as great as IR needs a great set of pipes to truly make a song.