Idol Chatter & Voice Views

His audition: James Irwin, 31, of St. Louis, Missouri, sang R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion.” Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green turned their chairs almost immediately, soon followed by Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. Christina complimented him on “captivating” the judges and the audience.

Background: James had auditioned on the premiere episode of Season 4 with “The Man Who Can’t be Moved.” Unfortunately, he failed to move any chairs. At the time, he was trying a musical comeback after a “downward spiral” that started when his wife had twin daughters prematurely; they died shortly after birth. Shakira, a Season 4 coach, encouraged him to try again. This time, he became the first singer to earn a four-chair turn-around after failing in his first attempt to land a spot on The Voice. Since Season 4, James said he gave up side jobs in construction and carpentry to focus solely on music and work on his vocal techniques. “I love music so much and I want that to be the thing I’m able to live off of and support my family.” He and his wife also now have young son, Aiden.

On choosing Adam: “All the other coaches said very nice things … and I just felt like Adam was the one who was the most honest. He said it could have been a better performance, and I felt the same way. I wanted to be with a coach that would really make me a better artist and not just, you know, be like ‘Hey, you were awesome.’ I wanted someone to keep it real. Like ‘hey, man, it was a good performance, but I can make you better.'”

What the show didn’t show: James’ mother was a singer and his stepfather was a member of the same band. As it turned out, James and stepbrothers Jim Peters and Ben Peters formed their own rock band called the Upright Animals in 2005. “We always wanted to make cool, melodic rock, rock music that creates an emotion and where you can understand the words,” James told The St. Louis Dispatch. The band wound up releasing a 12-track album called “Scams” in 2007 and a 6-tack EP called Carnivore City in 2009 but became “jaded after giving out more CDs than we sold.” Though the band reunited at least briefly after his Season 4 appearance on The Voice, James has also pursued a solo career, performing as Rubix. Part of the reason for his success the second time around on The Voice: “This time I got a song that just worked perfect for me.”

Quote: “At first, I was kind of on the fence about coming back. I didn’t know if I wanted to go through this whole process again. It’s a very intense process and it can kind of mess with your head a little bit. But I didn’t want to give up. I didn’t want that to be my legacy — that I had the opportunity but didn’t take it.”

On iTunes: Both of the Upright Animals albums are available, as is the studio version of James’ audition song.

Keeping up with James: On Twitter — @jameskirwinstl — Facebook

For profiles of other Season 5 contestants, go here.

James Irwin with The Upright Animals, “Carnivore City”

James Irwin with The Upright Animals, “When Will We Wake Up”