Having trained extensively in the arts, Joi dropped out of Tennessee State University and pursued a recording career, all the while writing poetry.

[2][8] It also draws on traditional R&B influences, of which The Source writes, "The album is a modern variation on the Stax/Muscle Shoals convocations of yore, where the feel of the record set a mood that extended long after the final chords evaporated".

[13] Other elements in the music include slow jams,[2] a cappella tracks, acid jazz, hip hop,[14] layers of drums, and sirens.

[5][13] It segues into "Freedom",[13] a rock-inflected soul song with wailing vocals,[8] electronically distorted sonics, resounding rhythm, and a gospel chorus.

[19] The album was largely overlooked by consumers upon its release, as its eclectic style was difficult to promote to music outlets such as mainstream urban radio and rock charts.

[14] Browne remarked on her eccentric personality and concluded in his review, "Joi leaves you scratching your head, but she fills it with beatific sounds along the way.

"[14] Rolling Stone called the album "an alluring, shifting cybersexual listening experience" and complimented Joi's "dynamic range".

[28] In a retrospective review, Allmusic editor Stanton Swihart commended Joi's "versatility" and commented that the album "has a whole lot to offer listeners across a wide spectrum of pop music.

[29] John Murph of the Washington City Paper wrote that, "artistically, it placed Joi ahead of the pack of prominent R&B singers of the time (SWV, Toni Braxton, Whitney Houston) by sidestepping sap in favor of more vital juices".

[17] [The] songwriting veers rebelliously, and often wondrously, through a wide range of stylistic influences [...] At each shift she avoids every conventional ghetto into which she could conceivably be thrust — like LaBelle, Rufus, Prince, and Lenny Kravitz before her — likely the album's major downfall but also its greatest legacy.

The album established Joi as part of a wave female R&B artists who released similarly styled and themed debuts, including Carleen Anderson, Shara Nelson, and Des'ree.

[3] Joi attempted to follow up The Pendulum Vibe with Amoeba Cleansing Syndrome in 1997, but the album was shelved after her label folded,[3] and she went on an extended hiatus.

[8] Allmusic's Stanton Swihart cites the album as "an integral influence on the neo-soul movement" and "a predecessor to and trailblazer for artists like Dionne Farris and Erykah Badu".

[8] Jacinta Howard of Creative Loafing writes that Joi was "arguably the most pivotal - if not the first - artist to arrive on the alternative soul scene, directly influencing acts ranging from Erykah Badu to OutKast to Janelle Monáe.

"[3] James Hannaham of Spin views that Joi "rewrote the rule book for urban contemporary R&B" with the album, adding that neo soul artists Maxwell and Erykah Badu "then memorized it.

"[18] Miles Marshall Lewis cites The Pendulum Vibe, along with De La Soul's Buhloone Mindstate, the Beastie Boys' Check Your Head, Me'shell Ndegéocello's Plantation Lullabies, D'Angelo's Brown Sugar, as one of the albums that "proved that the aesthetic sentiments of B-boys and bohos were never as divergent as many believed.