If you look at the work of a photographer like William Eggleston it's almost exclusively 'about' colour. It simply wouldn't have the same impact in B&W, although Eggleston did shoot monochrome in his earlier years. By contrast Ansel Adams' landscapes rely on texture and tone for impact. Some subjects are less clear, a good street photograph can be enhanced by the colours in it, or lessened. Martin Parr's shots work in colour, Tony Ray-Jones covered similar subjects successfully in black and white.
Digital photographers don't have the same problem, they simply desaturate a colour photograph. My response is to shoot black and white but carry a colour body for images that clearly need it. That works out about one roll of C41 or E6 for every four B&W. Others may have an opposite ratio, whatever, I feel a little naked if I don't have colour stock somewhere on me, even if it's in a compact camera.