Outlook Mixtape: Kinds of Blue

Available for over a year

From the aquamarine depths of Egyptian seas to the backwaters of Louisiana, two stories of very different kinds of blues. Raised on a sharecropping farm in rural Louisiana, Robert Finley grew up surrounded by music, but under strict rules. Gospel was allowed; the blues were forbidden. His deeply religious dad dismissed it as “the devil’s music.” So Robert became a carpenter like his father and played the blues in secret, teaching himself the guitar and writing songs about everyday life. Music remained on the margins as he spent most of his adult life building houses – until his early 60s, when Robert lost his sight to glaucoma and had to give up carpentry. With no other way to earn a living, Robert began busking, singing his own songs on the street. Eventually he was spotted by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, and together they recorded Robert’s first album. Now in his 70s, Robert is touring internationally and releasing new music, including his latest album Hallelujah, Don’t Let the Devil Fool You. Belgian actor Kristof Coenen was in his 30s when he moved to Dahab in Egypt. Captivated by the Blue Hole, a coral-lined sinkhole in the Red Sea, he decided to become a freediver after he met the renowned safety instructor Stephen Keenan. They became close friends, and together they would freedive – descending to the dark depths of the ocean on a single breath. It opened up a record-breaking world of daring swims through caves and reefs. But in freediving, pushing to the limit can be fatal. Presenter: India Rakusen Producer: Zoe Gelber Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo: A transparent 60-minute cassette tape with a white label with the words: The Outlook Mixtape. Credit: Getty Images)