V_S, Raagas, Suresh, very good reviews on PS! Interesting thoughts you folks have there.
Like Suresh said, had IR had been able to rope in his favorite Budapest orchestra, we would've had a full-fledged 'saavadi' at hand!

The album has been in loop for about a week now and has surely grown well on me. It does take a while to get around the synth (sure, we can go on and on singing our gripe in Synthubhairavi, what impact will it have on us or IR?), but once done, there's a lot to cherish; IR serves a sumptuous folk feast!

Regarding ASK, I too immediately went back to Maaman oru naal and 16 vayadhinile songs. But then, I thought Raaja's rendtion was quite good (acquired taste O?) and its like a statement he's making to his peers. He aint stuck in time and will come up with something that's in-sync with the current sound (whether its to our liking or not). The reason why I feel Kudhikira kudhikira is such a charmer is because it bursts of innocence, unbound happiness of a child and the special bonding with his little horse which means the world to him.