by Michael Sutton\r Synth pop wasn't intended to have a soul. Pioneered by German techno wizards Kraftwerk in the '70s, electronic pop music became a haven for chilly detachment. Without the hollow baritone of vocalist David Gahan, there wouldn't be much fire in the synthetic grooves of Depeche Mode. When Gahan joined Depeche Mode in 1980, he was the group's missing puzzle piece, a charismatic, stylish singer. In the beginning, Gahan sang in an icy yet upbeat fashion, milking the hooks from early Depeche Mode hits such as "Just Can't Get Enough" and "Dreaming of Me" with boyish abandon. However, as keyboardist Martin L. Gore's songs darkened with the 1986 LP Black Celebration, Gahan matched the bleakness in Gore's lyrics by singing in a grimmer tone; it turned Gahan into a major influence on future industrial, gothic rock, and synth pop acts. By 1993's Songs of Faith and Devotion, Gahan was living in Los Angeles and, inspired by the l...