Nicole Mullen

Christmas in Black and White
(Word/Curb Records)

Nicole C. Mullen’s “Christmas in Black and White” is one of this year’s most definitive Christmas projects.

The latest album from the reigning queen of contemporary Christian music is guaranteed to spice up   this holiday season with its Christmas narratives, arrangements of traditional carols and a soulful   collection of Christmas songs composed by Mullen.

The album begins with a spoken narrative recounting the night when Mary was told she would give birth to the Son of the Most High. Songs like “Lamb of God” and “Merry Christmas, Baby” are stirring tunes inspired by the story of Christ’s birth. “Sacred Night” fuses Mullen’s signature R&B vocals with a pulsing Latin chorus of “Glory, glory, glory to the Lord on High.”

Like Mullen’s other albums, “Christmas in Black and White” is a family project. Perhaps the most notable instance of this is Mullen’s duet with her father Napoleon Coleman Jr. on “The Christmas Song.” Coleman makes it quite clear that Mullen is not the family’s   only vocalist. At moments, it is easy to mistake Coleman for Nat King Cole. “Christmas in Black and White” is perhaps one of   Mullen’s most diverse and energetic albums to date. It is reflective and celebrative as it rejoices in the   birth of the Savior so many years ago.