the reason I can't go there with you is because the production on Zhane's album had a certain gloss to it that sort of associated it more with the "dance music" of the era (similar to Ce Ce Peniston and other acts like that).

If we're gonna count stuff that had "dancey" beats, there's a lot of stuff from that period that could qualify.... by the time Neo-Soul really became a thing, that whole "dance" vibe had been shrugged off. (indeed part of the eventual downfall of neo-soul had to do with the fact that so much of it was *not* danceable).

EDIT: I really like this post. I like thinking about neo-soul.